Lottery is a type of gambling in which participants pay a small sum to participate in a drawing for a prize, often money. In the US, most states run lotteries. In some cases, the winners are chosen by machines rather than human beings. A prize amount can range from a few dollars to millions of dollars. Most people who play the lottery do so to win money or other goods and services, but it can also be a way of funding charitable causes.

The first element of a lottery is some means for recording the identities and amounts of each stake. In a traditional lottery, each bettor writes his name and the number(s) or other symbols on which he wagers on the ticket. The bettor then deposits the ticket with the lottery organization for shuffling and selection in the drawing. Alternatively, the bettor may purchase a numbered receipt that can be used to determine later whether his ticket was selected in the drawing.

The lottery has long been used as a tool for raising funds for various purposes, from townships to wars. In the early American colonies, Benjamin Franklin promoted a lottery to raise money for cannons for defense of Philadelphia; Thomas Jefferson held one to relieve crushing debts. Today, 44 states and the District of Columbia conduct lotteries, with Alabama, Utah, Mississippi, and Nevada not offering them. These states are either religiously opposed to the concept of gambling, or their government officials take the position that they get enough tax revenue without a competing state lotteries.