Lottery:
A gambling game in which tickets with numbers are sold and a drawing is held to determine winners. Sometimes, a percentage of the proceeds from a lottery is given to good causes. Lottery games are most common in America, where state governments organize them, but they also occur at the federal level and within private organizations. The word “lottery” is believed to have originated in Middle Dutch, from Old French loterie, or through a calque of the French word for “action of drawing lots,” from lot (“fate” or “destiny”) and tirre (to pull).
Lottery advertising often focuses on two messages primarily. One is that lottery winnings are fun. This coded message obscures the regressivity of playing and masks the huge amounts of money that people spend on it.
The other major message is that lotteries are a good thing because they raise money for states. This is a false claim, as the percentage of revenue that lotteries generate is small relative to overall state revenue. The truth is that lotteries do more harm than good for states, by promoting a vice and contributing to regressive tax structures.
In addition to relying on advertising, lotteries often operate point-of-purchase podium-like structures called play centers. They are designed to advertise the lottery and provide customers with a place to fill out their purchase forms, receive prizes and informational brochures. Lottery play centers are operated by licensed lottery agents. Some are owned and operated by the state/jurisdiction that operates the lottery, while others are owned and operated by independent corporations.