Lottery is a game in which players choose numbers or symbols to win money or other prizes. It is a popular form of gambling and is legal in most countries. Prizes can range from a single large amount to many smaller amounts of money or goods. The total value of the prizes is usually determined before the start of the lottery. Profits for the promoter and any taxes or other revenues are deducted from the prize pool.

Lotteries have been around for a long time. The earliest recorded European ones were organized by the Romans as part of Saturnalian feasts and entertainments. These early lotteries were more like a distribution of gifts than a genuine lottery, since tickets had to be purchased to participate and the prizes consisted of articles of unequal value. Later, in Britain and America, private lotteries were common as a way to sell products or properties. They helped fund the British Museum and the construction of bridges, and John Hancock ran a lottery to help build Faneuil Hall in Boston. Denmark Vesey, an enslaved man in Charleston, won a local lottery and used the proceeds to buy his freedom.

In the modern age, state governments have adopted and promoted lotteries as an alternative to raising tax rates or cutting public programs. The argument that the proceeds from these lotteries will benefit a specific public good (such as education) is often effective in winning public approval. But studies have also shown that the objective fiscal circumstances of states do not appear to have much bearing on whether or when they adopt lotteries.