Lottery is a game in which numbers are drawn for prizes. It is also used to describe any scheme for allocating prizes, or anything that appears to depend on chance:
In the United States state governments conduct lotteries, a form of gambling wherein participants purchase chances to win money or goods. In some cases the prize money is divided among several winners, but in others a single winner receives all or a substantial portion of the total prize pool. Lottery is a popular way for states to raise funds for public projects and programs, such as highway construction or subsidized housing.
Traditionally, the lottery consisted of placing objects with the names or marks of persons to be awarded something in a receptacle (such as a box or hat), and shaking it; the person whose name or mark fell out first was the winner. This practice is described in the Bible, with Moses assigning property to Israel’s tribes by lottery (Numbers 26:55-56) and the Roman emperor Nero giving away property and slaves by lot. In the 16th century, Francis I introduced lotteries to France and they became very popular in Burgundy and Flanders.
Lotteries have become the source of much controversy over their role in raising revenue for government and the impact on economic inequality. In the immediate post-World War II period, some saw them as a way to fund social safety nets without onerous taxes on middle and working class citizens. Today, most states offer at least one form of lottery. Some also hold national lotteries where players can purchase a ticket for the chance to win a jackpot larger than that of any individual state.