In a lottery, money or other prizes are distributed by chance. Making decisions or determining fates by casting lots has a long history, dating back to ancient times. The modern lottery was first introduced in the United States by British colonists in the 1800s and has grown to a global industry worth billions of dollars annually. A person who buys a lottery ticket is called a bettor or bettors. A bettor writes his name and a selection of numbers or symbols on a ticket that is then deposited for the drawing. The number of matches determines the prize amount.
Lottery games are designed to encourage bettor loyalty through the gratification of winning a prize. The top prize in a lottery must be relatively large to attract attention and public interest, and the size of the prize must increase over time to sustain public enthusiasm. The gratification may take the form of cash or merchandise. Lottery players may also receive tickets as gifts at dinner parties, with prizes including fancy dinnerware.
State lotteries are a classic example of a policy area in which authority is fragmented between legislative and executive branches, with a lack of a general overview or policy. As a result, lotteries develop extensive specific constituencies that include convenience store operators (who sell the tickets); lottery suppliers (heavy contributors to state political campaigns are frequently reported); teachers in states in which lottery revenues are earmarked for education; and state legislators who become accustomed to the new revenue.