A game of chance in which numbered tickets are sold and prizes given to the holders whose numbers are chosen by lot: often sponsored by states or organizations as a means of raising funds. Also used figuratively to refer to any situation in which winning or losing depends on luck. Examples include “They held a lottery to determine who could get a green card” and “The room assignments were decided by lottery.”
In the United States, 44 states and the District of Columbia run lotteries, with Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Mississippi, Utah, and Nevada not participating for various reasons. The most common lotteries are state-based, in which a fixed percentage of ticket receipts go to the prize pool. Other formats include games where the purchasers select groups of numbers, such as those in keno or the Mega Millions national lottery. Frequently, winning numbers are not predetermined and may be selected by machine or by the purchasers.
Regardless of the format, lottery organizers need some means to record the identities of bettors and their stakes, and of selecting winners. This is usually done by a computer system that either records each bettor’s selections on a ticket or keeps a record of a bettors’ selected numbers, allowing them to be matched with the results of the drawing later on. Lottery tickets can be bought from a variety of retailers, including convenience stores, gas stations, restaurants and bars, bowling alleys, and newsstands. In addition, many lotteries are played online.