The official lottery is a government-sponsored gambling game in which people purchase tickets for the chance to win a prize. State lotteries are legal in most countries, and they are often used for public benefits such as education or road construction. States regulate lotteries to ensure fairness and security, and laws typically prohibit the sale of tickets to minors.
The first recorded lotteries were held in the Low Countries in the 15th century, where towns used them to raise funds for town fortifications and to help the poor. A record dated 9 May 1445 at L’Ecluse indicates that a lottery was conducted to raise money to build walls.
Lottery advocates argued that they would bring in huge sums of money without increasing taxes and keep it in the pockets of average citizens. But in the early days, lotteries were a very inefficient way to collect money, and it was soon clear that they could not be the source of much of a state’s budget.
Cohen believes that one of the reasons lotteries became so popular in America is because they were a good fit for a nation that was growing in size, developing its infrastructure, and at the same time becoming increasingly morally strict about gambling. As soon as a state began a lottery, other states often followed suit. This is why multi-state lotteries, such as Powerball and Mega Millions, have grown to be so popular. They provide bigger jackpots and draw more players.