Lottery is a form of gambling in which people buy tickets for a chance to win money or other prizes. Many states have lotteries and they generate billions of dollars in revenue for state governments. While there is little evidence that lottery revenues are primarily used for public purposes, lotteries enjoy wide popular support and are a source of significant political influence.
Despite the low probability of winning, a majority of Americans play the lottery at least once a year. Moreover, they do so in large numbers: one estimate is that 50 percent of Americans purchase at least one ticket per week. But that popularity has a dark underbelly: The players are disproportionately lower-income, less educated, nonwhite and male. They are also disproportionately represented among those who purchase daily numbers games, scratch tickets and other products.
Lotteries have a long history in America and were frequently used in colonial-era America to raise funds for projects such as paving streets, building wharves and building churches. The Continental Congress even sponsored a lottery to finance the Revolutionary War.
Today, most states have lotteries and their proceeds are earmarked for various purposes, most notably education. Lottery games often feature a high risk-to-reward ratio, and as a result attract a large and diverse constituency that includes convenience store owners (who benefit from the sales of tickets); lottery suppliers (whose heavy contributions to state political campaigns are widely reported); teachers (in those states where lottery revenues are earmarked for education); and state legislators who quickly become accustomed to the revenue stream.
