The History of the Lottery
The lottery is a form of gambling wherein the prize money is allocated by chance. It has become an important source of revenue for states, whose budgets are often stretched thin. Many people, especially those who have never played before, have a strong interest in trying their luck at winning. In fact, about 50 percent of Americans play at least once a year. These players are disproportionately lower-income, less educated, and nonwhite. They also tend to spend a large proportion of their income on tickets.
Lotteries have a long history, with several instances in the Bible and other ancient texts. However, the casting of lots for material gain is a much more recent development. It was first used for public policy in the Low Countries around the 15th century, when towns held lottery games to raise funds for town fortifications and the poor.
Once a state establishes its own lottery, it often has difficulty reversing course, even when it becomes clear that the enterprise is not generating enough money for its purposes. It usually starts with a modest number of relatively simple games and, under pressure to generate additional revenues, continually expands the offering, introducing new types of games such as scratch-off tickets and video games.
Lottery critics argue that these new games exacerbate the lottery’s other alleged negative effects, including targeting poorer individuals and increasing opportunities for problem gambling behavior; and that it is difficult to balance the desire to increase revenues with the state’s duty to protect the public welfare.
