Lottery is a game in which people try to win money by drawing lots. It is a type of gambling that involves paying small fees for the chance to win large amounts of money. Some governments prohibit lotteries, but others endorse them and regulate them. State lottery divisions typically select and license retailers, train them to use terminals to sell and redeem tickets, promote the games, pay high-tier prizes, and ensure that all retailers and players comply with state laws and rules.

The first recorded lotteries were held in the Low Countries in the 15th century, to raise funds for town fortifications and to help poor people. The word lottery is probably derived from the Middle Dutch noun lot, or from Lotge, meaning “casting of lots.”

A lottery is a technique for distributing something, often money or goods, among people when demand exceeds supply. Financial lotteries, which are run by state and federal government agencies, are a form of gambling in which multiple people purchase chances to win a prize, such as cash or a house, through a random drawing.

While the purchase of lottery tickets cannot be accounted for by decision models based on expected value maximization, more general utility functions defined on things other than the outcome of the lotteries can explain some of the purchases. The money spent on lottery tickets could be better used to build an emergency fund or pay off credit card debt.