Lottery is a process that gives something away based on chance. It can be used to determine a wide variety of things, from kindergarten placements at a reputable school to units in a subsidized housing block. It can also be used to award money or prizes for things that have a limited supply but high demand. Examples include a lottery for the first selection of players in the NBA draft.

In the United States, state lotteries are run as business enterprises with a primary function to maximize revenues. To do this they advertise, offering a variety of different games and the prospect of winning enormous sums of money. But this promotion of gambling runs at cross-purposes with the broader public interest. Is promoting gambling to poor and problem gamblers the best thing for the welfare of the population?

A large number of people play the lottery, and it contributes billions to state coffers. While some of them play for the fun of it, others think that it is their ticket to a better life. Some studies show that lottery play is disproportionately concentrated among the poor, and it does not tend to increase with education.

When a new lottery begins, it usually starts with a small number of relatively simple games. Revenues expand rapidly for a while, and then begin to decline. This leads to the introduction of new games in an attempt to boost revenues. While some of these innovations have proven successful, the reliance on a steady stream of new games is not sustainable.