In an age where states have to juggle the needs of a large social safety net with the demands of an anti-tax electorate, lotteries seem appealing as a way to generate revenue without raising taxes. Indeed, the primary argument used to justify their adoption was that they would provide a painless source of revenue, with players voluntarily spending money to help state government. However, studies have shown that lottery popularity is remarkably unrelated to the actual fiscal health of a state; in fact, most lotteries expand at a rapid pace even when a state’s budgetary situation appears robust.

In the strict sense of the word, a lottery is simply a means of awarding prizes through a random selection procedure. Prizes are usually monetary, but there are other examples of the practice in modern life, such as commercial promotions involving property giveaways, and the random allocation of jury members from lists of registered voters.

While the casting of lots to determine fates has a long history, and there are many biblical references to the lottery, lotteries for material gain are much more recent, although there are a number of early public examples. They spread in the European colonies, despite Protestant proscriptions against gambling.

In the modern era, a lottery is run as a business with a clear focus on maximizing revenues. This means that advertising is designed to persuade people to spend money on tickets, and this has the potential for negative consequences in the form of higher taxes on the poor and compulsive gamblers, and it can also promote irrational choices by presenting misleading information (e.g., the odds of winning); inflating the value of jackpots (most prizes are paid out in installments over 20 years, with inflation dramatically eroding their current value); and more.