Lottery is a type of gambling in which players place bets on numbers that are randomly drawn. The prizes are usually large sums of money. Many lottery games are organized so that a portion of the profits are donated to charities. In addition, some states regulate the sale of lottery tickets. While the casting of lots for making decisions and determining fates has a long record in human history, using lotteries for material gain is of more recent origin. The first public lottery to distribute prize money was held during the reign of Augustus Caesar in Rome for municipal repairs.

In principle, lottery play can be a rational decision for any individual if the entertainment value of winning is high enough and exceeds the disutility of losing money. However, the poor, whose disposable incomes are a fraction of those of the middle and upper class, do not have sufficient discretionary funds to spend much on lottery tickets. Therefore, the majority of lottery participants are those in the 21st through 60th percentile of the income distribution, people who can afford a couple dollars per week for a lottery ticket but whose chances of winning are very low.

Lottery marketing tries to overcome the regressive nature of its consumer base by promoting the lottery as a fun experience and arguing that players do their civic duty by purchasing tickets. But these messages have failed to have a significant impact on lottery participation. Studies show that the objective fiscal circumstances of a state do not have a strong influence on whether or when a lottery is adopted.