Lottery is the process of determining a distribution of property (either money or goods) by means of chance. It has been used since ancient times, from Moses being instructed by the Old Testament to divide land by lot, to Roman emperors giving away slaves and property during Saturnalian feasts, to a popular dinner entertainment in early America where guests would draw for prizes, such as a piece of wood with symbols on it, that they took home. Public and private lotteries have played a major role in financing many projects, including the colonial establishment of Virginia, paving roads, repairing bridges, and building colleges such as Harvard and Yale. It has also been a common means of raising voluntary taxes and was the reason George Washington sponsored a lottery to finance his expedition against the British in 1768.
In modern state lotteries, people pay a small amount of money, often $1 or $2, for the chance to win big cash or other prizes. It’s not a very risky investment compared with saving for a car or college tuition, yet players as a group contribute billions to government receipts every year that could be better spent on other public goods.
Lottery operators seek to maintain broad public approval through two messages, one that the lottery is fun and the other that it supports a particular public good, such as education. However, these messages are at cross purposes with each other and with the objective fiscal conditions of a state.