The lottery is a gambling-type game in which participants pay to enter a drawing for a prize — either money or goods — that depends on chance. The practice of making decisions and determining fates by casting lots has a long record in human history, including several instances in the Bible (for example, Moses was instructed to take a census of Israel and divide land by lot; and Roman emperors gave away property and slaves by lottery). But the lottery as a means of distributing money is quite recent. The first known public lottery to sell tickets and award prizes in cash was a 15th-century event in the Low Countries. Other lotteries popped up in other European countries.
In the United States, state lotteries were introduced in the immediate post-World War II period, when many people saw them as a way to increase government services without increasing taxes on the middle class and working classes. But this arrangement began to crumble in the 1970s, when inflation and the growing cost of government eroded the ability of the lottery to generate enough funds for a robust set of services.
Even so, state lotteries continue to enjoy broad public support – and the approval of specific constituencies, such as convenience store owners (lottery ticket sales help them make more money); lottery suppliers (lottery-related contributions by these companies to state political campaigns are routinely reported); teachers (in states where the revenue from the lottery is earmarked for education); and state legislators (who quickly become accustomed to the steady flow of new revenues). In contrast, criticism of the lottery often focuses on alleged negative social consequences, such as compulsive gambling and regressive effects on lower-income groups.
