A lottery is a form of gambling in which a series of numbers are drawn for prizes. A state-owned company typically conducts the drawing, and tickets are sold to the public. In the United States, lottery profits are generally used to fund education and other public programs. While critics of lotteries argue that they encourage a sense of fatalism and deprive communities of the money they need for other needs, proponents say they are a painless way for governments to raise revenue.

Lotteries have been popular in Europe since the 15th century, when they became widespread in Burgundy and Flanders as towns sought ways to fortify their defenses and help the poor. Francis I of France allowed private and public lotteries, and kings like Louis XIV reportedly favored them. They became especially widespread in the 17th and 18th centuries, when new nations built roads, jails, schools, factories, and a whole array of other necessities. Thomas Jefferson held a lottery to pay off his debts, and Benjamin Franklin bought cannons for the city of Philadelphia in a lottery.

In the immediate post-World War II period, some politicians promoted the idea of lotteries as a way for states to expand their social safety nets without imposing excessive taxes on middle-class and working-class citizens. But, as lottery revenues plateaued and state budgets faced pressure to increase them, states increasingly turned to keno, video poker, and other games to boost profits. As a result, the people who play these games tend to be drawn more from lower-income neighborhoods than they are in wealthier ones.