A lottery is a game in which numbers are drawn for prizes. The prize money can be cash or goods. Lotteries are a popular way of raising funds for governments, charities and other public purposes. They also provide a low-risk investment opportunity that attracts many people. But there is a downside to this type of investment: Lottery players as a group add billions to government receipts that could be better spent on education, retirement or medical care.

Lottery plays on an ancient human instinct to dream big. It has been around for centuries, with the first European lotteries organized to distribute expensive items such as dinnerware to attendees at dinner parties. Those lotteries proved so popular that they were adopted by the Roman Empire and later in England and the United States.

Today, state-run lotteries raise billions of dollars for the poor, health care and other programs. They are a major source of tax revenue for many states, particularly the Northeast. And while some of the money is returned to the players in the form of cash, most of it is used for government programs.

The word “lottery” probably derives from Middle Dutch loterie, which means to draw lots or be selected by chance. During the 17th century it was common for states in Europe to organize lotteries, with the prize fund often being a fixed percentage of the total ticket sales. Eventually this was copied in the United States, where the first official state-run lottery was established in 1849.