a system for the distribution of prizes by chance, usually involving payment of money for the opportunity to win. Modern lotteries include state-sponsored games of chance for prizes other than money (such as units in a public housing block or kindergarten placements) and commercial promotions in which property is awarded by drawing lots. A lottery may also be used for military conscription or to select members of a jury.
In the United States, private lotteries were common in colonial era America and helped finance such projects as paving streets, building wharves, and establishing several American colleges, including Harvard, Dartmouth, Yale, and King’s College (now Columbia). However, the lottery became a target of public criticism beginning in the 1800s for reasons that included religious and moral sensibilities, reports of corruption by lottery promoters, and concern that people would be paying taxes for nothing in return.
The most familiar form of lottery is the state-sponsored game in which people pay for a ticket and are awarded a prize, such as a cash prize or a house, if enough of their numbers match those randomly drawn. This type of lottery has proved remarkably popular, and almost every state now has one.
In the past, state lotteries operated much like traditional raffles, in which the public purchased tickets for a drawing at some future date, often weeks or months away. But innovations in the 1970s have radically altered the operation of many lotteries. Revenues typically expand rapidly after a lottery is introduced, then level off and sometimes decline. To keep revenues high, state lotteries rely on a constant supply of new games to attract players.
