A lottery is an organized drawing of numbers for a prize, such as a cash prize or goods. It is usually run to make sure that the distribution of a limited resource, such as units in a subsidized housing block or kindergarten placements at a good public school, is fair to all who are eligible. Lotteries may also be used to raise money for state or charitable purposes. The word is derived from the Italian lotteria, from Lotto “lot, portion, share,” and Old English hlot.

Americans spend more than $80 billion a year on lottery tickets. This money could be better spent on building an emergency savings account or paying off debt. It is clear that many Americans have an inexorable desire to gamble, and the lure of a jackpot is enough to draw them into a game they know they are not likely to win. The winners are disproportionately lower-income, less educated, nonwhite, and male.

The history of lotteries is long and varied. The Old Testament instructed Moses to take a census of the Israelites and divide land among them by lot, and Roman emperors gave away property and slaves by lot.

States rely on the revenue generated by lotteries to support education and other public services. But lotteries are not as transparent as a typical tax, and consumers are often unaware of the implicit taxes that they pay when they buy lottery tickets. This can create a self-perpetuating cycle, in which more people are drawn to play and the percentage of winners grows, reducing the amount of money available to fund public services.