A lottery is a form of gambling where numbers are drawn for prizes. It is often a game run by state governments or nonprofit organizations to raise money. The name is derived from the Latin phrase sortilegij, meaning “casting of lots.” Lottery games have been around for centuries, with early examples recorded in the 15th century in the Low Countries for raising money to build town fortifications.

In the US, a state-run lottery is one of the most common sources of revenue for many public services. The vast majority of players are lower-income, less educated, and nonwhite, with some reports that as much as 80 percent of lottery tickets come from this group. Despite these facts, states have largely promoted lotteries as a way to raise funds for public projects without increasing taxes on the general population.

New Hampshire established the first modern state lottery in 1964, seeking to add new revenue streams for education and cut into illegal gambling activities. The rest of the country quickly followed suit, and by the time of the Vietnam War, 45 states had lotteries. The popularity of state lotteries in the 1960s was fueled by the belief that they would help states finance education, veterans’ health care, and other public programs without raising taxes on poor and middle-class residents. This was not only a myth, but it obscured the fact that lotteries are regressive and expose people to risky behavior for little benefit.