Lottery is an arrangement in which tokens are sold or given away for a chance to win a prize, such as money, goods, or services. It differs from gambling in that a payment of some sort, usually a small amount, is required for the opportunity to win. Modern lotteries may take many forms, from the selection of jurors to the assignment of space in public housing or kindergarten classes. They can also include sporting contests and public service jobs. Some are run by governments, while others are private companies or organizations.

Lotteries are popular with the public and provide good ways for governments to raise money for public projects. In colonial America, they helped fund schools, churches, canals, bridges, and other public works, as well as supplying guns for the defense of Philadelphia and rebuilding Faneuil Hall in Boston. But some critics have argued that they are addictive and can lead to poor financial habits.

Although there have been lottery winners who have become rich, most people lose the money they win. The average winning ticket holder ends up with only about 24 percent of the total prize, after federal taxes and state or local taxes have been deducted. But even that sum is a drop in the bucket for actual state governments, which receive 1 to 2 percent of their total revenue from lotteries.