What is a Lottery?
A form of gambling in which a large number of tickets are sold and a drawing is held for prizes. Also called lottery game and keno.
The word lottery has its roots in ancient practice. The Old Testament has instructions that property should be distributed by lot, and the Roman emperors gave away slaves and land in this manner. It was also a popular dinner entertainment in ancient Rome, when hosts would distribute pieces of wood with symbols on them to their guests and have them draw for prizes at the end of the meal. In the 1500s, Francis I of France was influenced by lotteries he saw in Italy and established the first French lottery, the Loterie Royale, to help his state finances.
Lottery games typically have long odds, and the prize money grows as ticket sales increase. People can choose the numbers themselves, or they can use a quick-pick option to let the machine select them for them. The earliest modern state lotteries resembled traditional raffles, with the public purchasing tickets in advance of a future drawing. In the 1970s, innovations such as instant games were introduced, and they increased the popularity of lotteries.
The earliest state lotteries were widely supported by a variety of groups, including convenience store owners (who tended to be the major vendors of the tickets); lottery suppliers (whose heavy contributions to state political campaigns are regularly reported); teachers (in states where lottery revenues are earmarked for education); and state legislators themselves. The current popularity of lottery games is due in part to the fact that they can offer a chance to win substantial amounts of money with relatively low risk.