A form of gambling in which people buy tickets with numbers or symbols for a chance to win cash or prizes. Lotteries are often sponsored by governments or organizations as a means of raising funds. In the United States, state-sponsored lotteries are the largest source of charitable funding, and the public has a strong fondness for lottery games.
A Term With Origins in Ancient Egypt
The word lottery derives from the Latin word lottore, meaning “fateful choice” or “choice by lots.” Early Egyptians used an unmarked piece of paper to select persons to serve as slaves and servants. Later, Roman emperors gave away land and property through lotteries. English colonists brought the practice to America and helped it become a popular way to finance private as well as public projects.
Modern lotteries involve a variety of elements. First, there must be some way to record the identities of bettor and the amounts staked. Next, the bettor’s ticket or counterfoil must be thoroughly mixed by some mechanical procedure—shaken or tossed—to ensure that only chance determines which ticket or counterfoil will be selected in the drawing. In some lotteries, this mixing is accomplished by computer programs that record each bettor’s selection and then randomly select winning tickets or counterfoils from the pool of all eligible entries.
Then, there must be some rules governing how often and how much money is awarded. A percentage of the pool normally goes to costs of promoting and organizing the lotteries, as well as to profits and taxes for the state or sponsor. The rest is available for prizes, and the decision must be made whether to award a few large prizes or many smaller ones.