Lottery is a game of chance in which players purchase tickets to win a prize, usually money. Most states have legalized and regulated lotteries. Many of the prizes are cash, while others may be goods or services. Some lotteries provide for payment over time rather than in a lump sum. Often, the prize amounts are advertised on billboards and other forms of advertising. The games are also promoted by radio, television and the Internet.
The first lottery games are reported to have been organized in the Low Countries in the 15th century, raising funds for a variety of public uses, from town fortifications to helping the poor. Benjamin Franklin used a lottery to raise funds for cannons to fight the British in Philadelphia during the American Revolution. Thomas Jefferson held a private lottery to relieve his crushing debts. State-sponsored lotteries have become very popular, generating large revenues for state governments and drawing on an enormous base of regular players. Nevertheless, critics argue that lottery promotions are at cross-purposes with the general welfare and that a significant percentage of lottery revenue is generated by the top 10 percent of players.
Some of the criticisms of the industry focus on its impact on compulsive gamblers and its regressive impact on lower-income groups. Others focus on its marketing strategies and on the general issue of whether state officials should be promoting gambling as an appropriate source of revenue for government. Lottery operations tend to become a piecemeal collection of policies and practices that are evolved by the lottery itself with little or no oversight from the legislature or executive branch. In this environment, lottery officials often find themselves at cross-purposes with other state agencies and the general population.