A lottery is a method of distributing prize money by drawing lots. Whether a lottery is held for money, goods or services, it involves the use of some sort of system of record-keeping and distribution, to make sure that winners are identified and prizes allocated fairly. The idea of making decisions and determining fates by casting lots has a long history, going back at least as far as the Bible. Lotteries for material gain have been in wide use since the 17th century, with Benjamin Franklin sponsoring a public lottery to raise money for cannons during the American Revolution and Thomas Jefferson holding a private one to pay off his debts.
Today, state lotteries are widely considered to be an important source of revenue for the states, and their adoption by most states has been largely approved by referendum. However, the argument that lotteries are a good thing is based on two messages mainly: One is the idea that even if you lose, you should feel good because you did your civic duty to help the state. This message obscures the regressivity of lottery playing and makes people forget that they’re paying for the privilege to play the lottery with their tax dollars.
There’s also the belief that winning the lottery is a meritocratic process, and we all have the opportunity to become rich someday. Unfortunately, anecdotes abound about lottery winners who end up broke or divorced or worse, especially when their names are publicly announced and they have to deal with the avalanche of people who want to be their friend. There’s a lesson in this: It’s best to keep your winnings secret even from those closest to you, experts say.
