Lottery is a game in which numbered tickets are sold and prizes are awarded to the winners, usually on the basis of chance. In a state lottery, the prizes are used to fund public projects. State governments typically run lotteries, but private organizations also hold them.
In the Low Countries, where gambling first became widespread, lotteries were a common way to raise funds for town fortifications and to help the poor. By the 17th century, lottery games were so popular that they were viewed as a “painless” form of taxation.
Lotteries are now a familiar feature of American life, with Americans spending an estimated $100 billion each year on tickets. But a look back at the rocky history of these popular government-sponsored games shows that they have had a long and winding journey to their current prominence.
In colonial America, lotteries accounted for a substantial share of public funding, from paving streets to building churches and wharves. Benjamin Franklin organized a lottery to help finance the city’s defense against marauding French forces, and John Hancock ran one to build Boston’s Faneuil Hall. George Washington sponsored a lottery to build a road across the Blue Ridge Mountains, but it failed to earn enough money for the project.
Today’s state lotteries are thriving, with Americans spending an estimated $100 billion each