A lottery is a gambling game in which prizes, such as cash or goods, are awarded to ticket holders based on random chance. The prize amounts may range from small items to large sums of money. A lottery may be legal or illegal, and is usually regulated by government authorities to ensure fairness and compliance with all applicable laws. The term lottery can also be applied to other activities in which a prize is awarded through random selection, such as military conscription, commercial promotions in which property is given away through a random procedure, and the selection of jury members from lists of registered voters.

In the United States, state lotteries are governed by statutes that specify how long winners have to claim their prizes after a drawing, what documentation they must present to claim their prizes, and the terms under which they can be paid. These laws also set out other details of the lottery, such as how much time a person has to buy a ticket, whether the ticket must be validated before being claimed, and what kind of proof a winner must supply in order to collect his or her prize.

Almost all states currently operate lotteries. They are characterized by a similar structure: the state legislature creates a lottery and a lottery agency; selects a public corporation to run it (rather than licensing a private firm in return for a percentage of revenues); starts operations with a modest number of relatively simple games; and then, due to pressure for additional revenue, progressively expands into more complex games such as keno.

The lottery is a popular form of gambling that is largely based on chance and offers players the opportunity to win big prizes for a low cost. In addition to the obvious benefits to players, the lottery has helped raise funds for public projects and charities. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, lottery proceeds financed everything from jails and churches to colleges and cities. Famous American leaders like Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin held lotteries to retire debts and buy cannons for Philadelphia.

Some people argue that the lottery violates the moral principle of voluntary taxation, since it raises money by coercing the poor to gamble against their modest incomes. Others point to the fact that the lottery’s promotion of gambling does not benefit society in general, and especially those who are most likely to be affected by it: the poor, problem gamblers, and other vulnerable groups.

Although the success of state lotteries depends on many factors, one of the most important is the extent to which they can convince the public that their funds are being spent for a specific public good. Some states have argued that the lottery is necessary to fund public education, while others have cited other public needs such as road repairs or prison construction. Regardless of the specific argument, studies show that state lotteries generally win broad public support regardless of the state’s actual financial condition.