Lottery
A lottery is a method of selecting individuals or groups to receive property or services through a drawing held by chance. Modern lotteries include government-sponsored gambling games as well as commercial promotions in which prize money is offered by private companies or nonprofit organizations, military conscription, and even the selection of jury members from lists of registered voters. In some cases, people pay a fee for a chance to win the prize.
The casting of lots to make decisions and determine fates has a long history, including several instances in the Bible. But the use of lotteries to distribute material goods is much more recent, with the first public lottery to sell tickets and award prizes recorded in Bruges, Belgium, in 1466. Various lotteries were later held to raise money for town fortifications and poor relief.
In the US, state-run lotteries raise billions of dollars annually. Most of the money is spent on winnings of a few hundred dollars or less. The rest of it is used for operational expenses, marketing, and administrative costs.
The vast majority of lottery players are in the 21st through 60th percentile of income distribution, who have a few dollars for discretionary spending and maybe not many other opportunities to achieve the American dream or even make ends meet. These people know the odds are long, but they play anyway because they enjoy the experience of buying a ticket and dreaming about the day when their luck will change.