A lottery is a game of chance in which numbers are drawn in order to win prizes. It is commonly sponsored by a state or other organization as a method of raising money. Its name is derived from the old French loterie, a contraction of Middle Dutch lot, a synonym for chance selection or “drawing of lots” (see the article on lottery).
In modern senses of the word, a lottery is an activity in which people purchase numbered tickets and winnings are awarded according to a random drawing. The modern practice of a public lottery began in 15th-century Burgundy and Flanders, with towns trying to raise money for defenses and the poor. It later spread to the colonies, where it was a major source of financing for roads, canals, colleges, and churches. In the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin sponsored a lottery to raise money for cannons for Philadelphia. Lotteries also helped to finance many private ventures, including the founding of Princeton and Columbia Universities.
Today, the majority of state lotteries are operated by government agencies or nonprofit corporations. These organizations often require payment of a small amount of money for a chance to win a substantial prize, and the vast majority of prizes are cash. The prize pool is determined by the total value of all tickets purchased, after expenses and taxes or other revenues are deducted. Lottery revenues typically increase dramatically following a lottery’s introduction and then level off, resulting in a need to introduce new games in order to maintain or increase revenues.