Lottery is a method of raising money for a government or charity by selling tickets with numbers that are drawn at random. People who match the numbers on their ticket win a prize.

Almost every state runs its own lottery to raise money for various projects. It’s a booming business with Americans spending an estimated $100 billion a year on tickets. But state lotteries have a rocky history and are an object of constant criticism, both from those who say the money shouldn’t be used for gambling and those who worry that the games promote compulsive gambling or regressive effects on lower-income groups.

The first modern lottery dates back to the Low Countries in the 15th century, where a variety of towns held lotteries to raise money for town fortifications and to help the poor. Lotteries remained popular in colonial America, where they helped to fund public and private ventures such as roads, canals, libraries, churches, and colleges. Lotteries were also a key source of funds for the military during the French and Indian War, and George Washington used his own lottery to help finance his expedition against Canada in 1768.

Lotteries are a major source of revenue for states, and the prizes on offer tend to be very large. In a time of austerity and anti-tax sentiment, many states have come to depend on this revenue stream to fill the coffers. As a result, they are subject to constant pressures from politicians to keep increasing the size of the prizes on offer.