Lottery is a form of gambling where numbered tickets are sold for a chance to win a prize. It is a common activity in the United States where people spend billions annually. Lottery games vary from scratch-off tickets to daily drawings. The winning numbers are chosen through a process that relies solely on chance. In the United States, the lottery is a state monopoly and the profits are used for public purposes. There are ten states that do not have a lottery and Hawaii and Wyoming allow no types of gambling at all.

The word lottery is probably derived from Middle Dutch loterie or Loteria, the latter being a calque of Latin lotium (drawing lots). The earliest recorded lotteries were held in the Low Countries during the 15th century to raise money for town fortifications and the poor.

Despite their popularity, lotteries can have negative effects on society. For example, the reliance on chance selections means that some people may not have access to certain government services or benefits. A study of a lottery-funded prekindergarten program found that children from lower-income families do not have access to the same amount of education as their counterparts in wealthier neighborhoods. This result is primarily the result of low lottery ticket sales among this group and the fact that many of these purchases are made with borrowed funds.

Moreover, the purchase of lottery tickets cannot be explained by decision models based on expected value maximization. Instead, the buying of these tickets is a result of risk-seeking behavior or an attempt to fulfill fantasies of becoming wealthy.