The lottery is a game in which players pay for the chance to win a prize, which may be money or goods. The prize is determined by a random selection of numbers or names. A lottery can be conducted by a private corporation, a state agency, or a federal government. Federal statutes prohibit the mail or interstate transportation of promotional material for lotteries.
The modern era of state lotteries began with New Hampshire in 1964. Since then, the lottery has spread across the country and is now available in most states. Most lotteries have a similar structure: the state establishes a monopoly for itself; selects a public corporation or government agency to run it (instead of licensing a private company in return for a share of the profits); begins operations with a modest number of relatively simple games; and, as pressure grows for additional revenue increases, progressively expands the lottery by adding new games.
Many people like to gamble, and there is in fact a strong human impulse to do so. This is the basic reason for the popularity of the lottery. But there is also a more subtle message that the lottery conveys: it promises instant wealth in a world of inequality and limited social mobility.
In addition to the public, lotteries have extensive specific constituencies: convenience store operators (the usual vendors for lotteries); lottery suppliers (heavy contributions by such companies to state political campaigns are regularly reported); teachers (in states where the proceeds are earmarked for education); and, of course, state legislators (who quickly grow accustomed to extra revenue). Many critics focus on the ways in which lottery advertising presents misleading information about the odds of winning, inflates the value of the money won (lotto jackpot prizes are usually paid out in equal annual installments over 20 years, with inflation and taxes dramatically eroding the current value), and is highly aggressive in its promotion.