Lottery is a game where prizes, usually money, are awarded to a number of people who purchase tickets. Prizes are allocated through a process that relies entirely on chance. Lottery tickets are purchased by individuals, organizations, corporations, and even some governments. The money from lottery tickets can be used to support a wide range of programs, including education, public works, and community services. Some governments have also used it to promote tourism or encourage charitable activities.

Lotteries have been around for centuries. The first recorded ones were held in the Low Countries in the 15th century to raise funds for town fortifications and to help the poor. After that, they were forbidden for two centuries, but they reappeared in the 17th century as public ones for the Paris municipality (called Loterie de L’Hotel de Ville) and private ones for religious orders.

In many countries, lottery play has a distinct pattern: revenues expand dramatically after the introduction of the lottery and then level off or decline. This has led to the development of a number of innovations to keep revenue up, most of which have involved new games and more aggressive promotion.

In general, those with lower incomes participate more heavily in lottery games than others. They do so in part because they dream of a big jackpot at the cost of a couple bucks, but also because they are attracted to the sense that wealth can be won through chance. Many critics say that the lottery is a disguised tax on those with the least incomes.