Lottery is a form of gambling that allows participants to win prizes for choosing numbers in a random drawing. Prizes range from cash to goods or services. The drawing takes place at regular intervals, usually weekly or monthly. Each participant pays a small amount for the chance to win a large sum of money.
In colonial America, the lottery played a major role in financing public works projects such as paving streets and building wharves, as well as private ventures such as college buildings. Benjamin Franklin sponsored a lottery to raise funds for cannons to defend Philadelphia against the British. In 1768, George Washington sponsored a lottery to finance a road across the Blue Ridge Mountains. Lottery played an important role in the formation of the early American colonies, and it continues to be a popular way for states to raise money.
A state may create its own lottery, or it may license a private company to run a lottery. In either case, the state must legislate a monopoly for itself; establish a state agency or public corporation to administer the lottery; and start operations with a modest number of relatively simple games. As revenues grow, the state progressively adds more complex games to maintain and even increase revenues. Lottery revenue typically grows rapidly upon introduction, then levels off and may even decline as a result of “boredom” among players. To keep revenues growing, the lottery introduces new games every few years.