Lottery is a form of gambling that involves paying a small amount to have the chance to win a large sum of money. Lotteries are often run by state or federal governments, although they can also be privately organized. In general, the winner is determined by a random drawing of numbers. A lottery can offer many different prizes, including cash or goods.

The concept behind lotteries has a long history. There are references to it in the Bible and Roman literature. Nero used it for entertainment during his Saturnalian feasts, as did other Roman emperors. Lotteries were also common during the colonial period, with states using them to raise funds for everything from public works projects to colleges.

Historically, the appeal of lotteries has been that they can raise large amounts of money without particularly onerous taxes on the middle or working class. This arrangement was especially popular in the immediate post-World War II period, when state governments began expanding their social safety nets.

Despite the popularity of lotteries, there are serious problems with them. The first problem stems from the fact that a large percentage of lottery revenues are spent on advertising and marketing, which can obscure the regressive nature of the program. Another problem is that once revenues grow dramatically, they tend to plateau and even decline, which requires constant introduction of new games in order to maintain or increase revenue. Finally, the notion that winning a lot of money by purchasing a ticket is fun and exciting can encourage people to spend more than they should on tickets.