Lottery is a game of chance in which winning depends on being selected by chance. It is often considered a form of gambling, but it involves a different set of principles than most forms of gambling. It is typically a government-sponsored, state-run enterprise in which people place bets for a prize. In the case of state-sponsored lotteries, winners are awarded a cash prize. The lottery can also involve the distribution of prizes that are not money (such as goods, services, or real estate).

While determining fates by the casting of lots has a long history in human society—including several instances in the Bible—the modern game of lottery is only relatively recent. Cohen argues that it began in the nineteen-sixties when growing awareness of the money to be made in the lottery business collided with a crisis in state funding. Faced with a growing population, inflation, and the cost of war, many states struggled to balance their budgets without raising taxes or cutting social services.

The result was a backlash against taxes, and state-run lotteries were born. Since that time, lotteries have expanded rapidly—in terms of number of games and the size of prizes. They have become a vital source of revenue for both state and local governments.

Despite their obvious drawbacks, lotteries remain popular with the general public. They appeal to an inextricable urge to gamble. This is especially true in societies with low levels of social mobility. The lottery dangles the prospect of instant riches in front of a population that desperately wants to avoid the risks of working for a living.