The lottery is a gambling game in which people buy numbered tickets for a chance to win money or other prizes. The word “lottery” comes from the Latin for “fate” or “chance.” Lotteries are not considered to be gambling by most states, although some state governments do consider them gambling and regulate them accordingly.

The first modern state lotteries began in the Low Countries in the 15th century, where town records show that public drawings were held to raise funds for town fortifications and help the poor. However, the practice of drawing for prizes by lot may be even older. The Old Testament instructs Moses to take a census of the Israelites and divide land among them by lot; and Roman emperors used lots for giving away property and slaves during Saturnalian feasts.

Lotteries are a popular source of state revenue. In the early postwar years, they helped states expand their social safety nets without imposing particularly onerous tax burdens on middle-class and working-class citizens. But lotteries have won broad public approval regardless of the state government’s actual fiscal health, and they are especially attractive in times of economic stress.

The reason is that the lottery is a form of instant riches that satisfies an inextricable human desire to gamble, but without any real risk. It is also a way to bolster the idea that America is still a meritocracy where anyone can get rich by simply trying hard enough.