Lottery is a form of gambling where participants buy tickets and hope to win prizes. Prizes are often cash, but can also be goods or services. Lotteries are a popular way to raise money for public purposes, and most states have them. They are sometimes called state-sanctioned games of chance or state-controlled gambling.

The origins of lotteries are uncertain, but they are widely believed to date back thousands of years. A biblical reference in Numbers 26:55-56 shows that property was distributed by lottery in ancient Israel, while Roman emperors used lotteries to give away slaves and other property during Saturnalian feasts. During the Renaissance, European cities began to organize lotteries for both private and public profit; the first state-sponsored lotteries in the modern sense of the word appeared in Burgundy and Flanders in the early 15th century. In the United States, New Hampshire introduced a lottery in 1964; inspired by that success, many other states followed suit in the 1960s and 1970s.

A key aspect of the modern state-sponsored lottery is that a pool of money, including profits for the promoter and costs of promotion, is collected from ticket purchases. After expenses are deducted, a percentage of the total pool is awarded as prizes. In addition to a single large prize, most lotteries offer several smaller prizes.

Some critics of the lottery say it encourages addictive gambling behavior and imposes a regressive tax on lower-income people, but supporters of lotteries argue that they are an effective tool for raising needed funds and can help limit illegal gambling activities. While many people enjoy playing the lottery, it is important to remember that it can become a dangerous addiction.