Lottery

A lottery is a game in which players pay a small sum, select numbers or have machines do it for them, and win a prize if their numbers match those drawn by the machine. In the United States, state lotteries provide a source of revenue for education and other public services. In other countries, private lottery promoters offer a variety of games. The lottery has a long record of use in human history for making decisions and determining fates, including several instances in the Bible and the distribution of property in ancient Rome.

Those who support the legalization of state lotteries have argued that they represent an equitable alternative to increasing taxes or cutting public services. They point out that state governments have broad popular support for the lottery and a strong constituency of convenience store owners (who sell tickets); suppliers to the lottery (heavy contributions to state political campaigns by these people are regularly reported); teachers in those states in which part of the proceeds are earmarked for education; and other groups with interest in the outcome of lotteries.

Critics of the lottery focus on its alleged regressive impact on lower-income groups and the problem of compulsive gambling. They also charge that lottery advertising is often deceptive, presenting misleading information about the odds of winning the big prize and inflating its current value by comparing it to an amount paid in annual installments over many years (and which will be subject to taxes and inflation). Nevertheless, in the decades since New Hampshire first introduced its modern state lottery, no major state has repealed the law.