A lottery is a game of chance in which numbers are drawn or randomly selected to determine winners. The prizes range from small gifts to large cash awards. It is commonly used to raise funds for government, education, or charity. Almost every country has some type of lottery. In the United States, state governments hold lotteries to fund public projects and private businesses. Some states allow private companies to run lotteries in exchange for a percentage of the proceeds. Others limit the number of commercial lotteries.
The word “lottery” derives from Middle Dutch lotterien, a calque on the Middle French loterie, itself a calque of Middle English lotere “action of drawing lots” (Oxford English Dictionary). Lotteries are a form of gambling, but differ from other forms of gaming because they use chance to allocate prizes rather than skill or effort.
Lotteries have been around for centuries. They were first mentioned in the Bible, and they are often cited by Roman emperors for giving away property and slaves. In modern times, lottery games are popular in many cultures, and are a major source of entertainment and revenue for governments and private organizations.
In the US, state lotteries are monopolies operated by government agencies or public corporations and are not allowed to compete with each other. They normally begin with a modest number of relatively simple games, and, as demand increases, progressively add more games to their portfolio. Currently, 37 states and the District of Columbia operate lotteries.