Lottery, in its broadest sense, is a method of allocating prizes (typically money or goods) by chance. The basic elements of a lottery are the existence of a pool or collection of tickets or their counterfoils, the names and amounts staked on each, and some procedure for selecting winners. Traditionally this has involved thoroughly mixing the pool by some mechanical means, such as shaking or tossing; modern lotteries often use computers for this purpose.

The prize allocation process may be simple, in which case the winner is determined by a drawing; or it may be complex, in which case the winning ticket holder must match a series of numbers and/or symbols. In the latter case, a bettor typically writes his name on a ticket that is then deposited with the lottery organization for shuffling and possible selection in the drawing.

In the United States, state lotteries are the most popular form of gambling; Americans spend over $80 billion annually on them. State lotteries promote their products by claiming that they support education, children’s health and other worthy causes; however, the percentage of the total proceeds that actually reach these recipients is minimal.

In addition, lottery revenues are regressive; people with less income tend to play the lotteries more frequently and spend a larger proportion of their available funds on them. Lotteries are thus a powerful tool of inequality; they take advantage of human innate love of chance and promise riches to those who are least able to resist them.