A lottery is a game in which people buy tickets and winners are chosen by chance. Prizes are usually money or goods. The practice of making decisions or determining fates by lot has a long record, including several instances in the Bible and Roman emperors giving away property and slaves. A lottery is also a process of distributing something — such as jobs, sports team positions or college admissions — among equally competing candidates, by drawing lots.
Unlike other types of gambling, lotteries are run by governments, which have a monopoly and make their profits by selling tickets. Governments have an incentive to promote the lottery, which is why they advertise it aggressively and spend large sums on marketing and promotion. The resulting advertising is often seen as at cross-purposes with public policy goals, such as combating poverty and compulsive gambling.
Despite these concerns, state lotteries are very popular. One reason is that the money raised by lotteries is perceived as supporting a particular public good, such as education. This message is especially effective in times of economic stress, as state governments face the prospect of raising taxes or cutting spending on other programs. In addition, it is difficult for the public to distinguish between the revenue generated by a lottery and ordinary tax revenues. In fact, studies have shown that the objective fiscal circumstances of a state do not seem to affect support for a lottery.