The casting of lots to determine fates and fortunes has a long record in human history, as noted by the Biblical examples, but lotteries as a way of raising money for goods are more recent. Public lotteries have been held since the Low Countries in the 15th century to raise funds for building town walls and fortifications, to aid the poor, and to support the arts.
Most state lottery systems are similar: the government legislates a monopoly for itself (as opposed to licensing private companies in return for a share of profits); establishes a state agency or public corporation to run the game; starts with a modest number of relatively simple games; and, as revenues grow, progressively add new ones. Unlike some forms of gambling, such as poker and horse racing, which are popular among the middle and upper classes, lotteries attract a disproportionately large proportion of players from lower socioeconomic groups.
In addition, research shows that the lottery is more popular in times of economic stress than in good economic conditions. This may be due in part to the perception that the proceeds benefit a broader social good, such as education. In reality, however, the state’s actual fiscal condition appears to have little effect on the lottery’s popularity, which is typically independent of the government’s overall fiscal status. It also has been shown that lottery playership and revenues decline with formal schooling, and that men play more than women and that blacks and Hispanics play more than whites.
