A lottery is a form of gambling wherein the winning numbers are determined by a random drawing. Lotteries have been a popular source of revenue for many state governments, and their supporters argue that they represent a relatively low-risk method of generating funds that can be used to support public services. However, critics point out that lottery players contribute billions to state government receipts that could have been better spent on things like education or health care, and they claim that the promotion of gambling by the states is at cross-purposes with the anti-tax, limited-government philosophy favored by most voters and politicians.

A winner is selected by a random drawing of tickets or counterfoils. The tickets or counterfoils must first be thoroughly mixed, typically by shaking, tossing, or some other mechanical procedure. Then the winners are extracted from the pool of entries using a machine that randomly selects one or more symbols (numbers, names, and other data). Computers have become increasingly useful for this function because they can store information about large quantities of entries and rapidly generate the appropriate sets of random numbers.

The earliest known lottery was recorded in the Low Countries in the 15th century. Town records from Ghent, Bruges, and Utrecht show that public lotteries were in use at the time to raise money for town fortifications and help the poor. Lotteries also played an important role in colonial-era America, where they were often used to finance public works projects and private ventures such as paving streets, building wharves, and financing universities. George Washington even sponsored a lottery to fund construction of the Virginia Company’s settlement at Jamestown.