Lottery is a form of gambling whereby participants purchase tickets to win a prize. Many countries have state-run lotteries, which offer a variety of prizes, including cash and goods. Lottery games are often played using a computerized system. Some lotteries award smaller prizes, such as sports team draft picks or movie tickets. Others award larger prizes, such as houses or cars. In the United States, state-run lotteries are regulated by law.

The first lottery games to sell tickets for a chance to win money appeared in the 15th century in Burgundy and Flanders, with towns attempting to raise funds to fortify town walls or help the poor. Francis I of France authorized the establishment of public lotteries in several cities.

In most cases, a lottery game involves picking a series of numbers from 1 to 50. The numbers are then randomly selected in a drawing, and the winner receives the prize amount for the correct selection. The prizes vary, but the majority of the revenue is used to pay for costs of organization and promotion, with a percentage normally going as revenues and profits to the lottery sponsor.

There is an inherent human impulse to gamble, and a certain degree of that is evident in the huge success of the lottery. However, most people who play the lottery do not take it lightly and spend a considerable portion of their income on lottery tickets. Lottery commissions try to obscure the regressive nature of their activities by promoting the idea that playing is fun and making it seem as if it is a civic duty to buy a ticket.