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Lottery (plural: lotteries) is an arrangement for allocating prizes by chance. The prizes may be money, goods, or services. Modern lotteries include military conscription, commercial promotions in which property is given away, and the selection of jury members. The word is from Old English ltor “fate, fateful,” a compound of lte “fate” and ter “lottery.”

Historically, state-sponsored lotteries have provided governments with painless revenue. By promoting gambling and making it easy to get involved, they allow elected officials to increase spending on public programs without raising taxes. The problem is that this arrangement is at cross-purposes with the interests of the general public.

State-sponsored lotteries are run as businesses with a focus on maximizing revenues and attracting new customers. They do this primarily through advertising, and that means that the messages they convey are geared to getting people to spend their hard-earned money on tickets. In the process, they promote the idea that gambling is fun and that winning the lottery will change your life.

But those who win the lottery often find themselves facing financial ruin within a few years. Moreover, lottery plays are more popular with the poor and less educated. Men play more than women; blacks and Hispanics more than whites; and the young play less than the middle age group. These patterns reflect the fact that the average income from lottery playing is relatively low and, unlike other forms of gambling, does not make anyone rich.