Throughout history, people have favored distributing property or prizes through lottery. Lotteries have played an important role in the establishment of colonies, the paving of streets, the construction of wharves and bridges, and even the financing of churches and colleges. Lotteries have also raised money for military ventures and for the defense of cities. In modern times, lottery revenues have provided much of the funding for many state-sponsored programs, including public education.

Lotteries are a classic case of a policy being driven by the need to raise revenue, rather than by a clear sense of public benefit. In states where lotteries are legal, they have been able to generate enormous sums of money with relatively little political friction. But, as this article will show, that does not necessarily translate into broad public support for the lottery.

The success of a lottery depends on how it is marketed, and the vast majority of lottery advertising is misleading. In particular, the odds of winning are often misrepresented. People who buy tickets are misled to think they can improve their chances of winning by buying more tickets or playing them more frequently, but the laws of probability do not allow for such increases in probabilities.

Many people play the lottery despite the long odds of winning. They have rationalized it by thinking that someone has to win, and they are betting the maximum amount possible in order to increase their chances of winning. The result is that they contribute billions of dollars to government receipts that they could have used for other purposes, such as a new car or college tuition.