The casting of lots for making decisions and determining fates has a long history in human society. But lotteries as state-sponsored games of chance for material gain are only fairly recent in the Western world. State governments promote them by stressing their value as a source of “painless” revenue—that is, money that comes in the form of players voluntarily spending some of their own money on tickets, rather than through government taxes or cuts to public services. This argument is especially effective when state governments are facing economic stress, but it continues to be popular even in times of prosperity and when the state’s actual fiscal health does not appear to be at risk.

Lottery commissions typically market their products by emphasizing the fun of playing and the sense of anticipation that comes from watching a drawing. They also attempt to bolster the image of a lottery as an “advanced” game by inflating the size of prize amounts and promising a large number of smaller prizes (the majority of the total pool is usually deducted for organizational costs and profits).

Critics argue that despite the benefits they may bring, state-sponsored lotteries are primarily designed to maximize revenues and may therefore be working at cross-purposes with the public interest. They also impose serious financial risks on vulnerable populations, promote addictive gambling behavior, and act as a major regressive tax on lower-income neighborhoods. Moreover, they are alleged to foster corruption and other problems of governance.