Lottery is a gambling game in which players try to win a prize based on the drawing of numbers. The casting of lots has a long history (see the Bible, Exodus 20:17; 1 Timothy 6:10), but the use of it to make money is relatively new. The lure of the lottery draws on a basic human desire to covet what others have. It also plays on the belief that money solves problems. God forbids coveting the things of others, but people who play the lottery often believe that they can make a good life better by winning the jackpot. This hope is usually false (see Ecclesiastes 5:10).
Lotteries are state-sponsored games of chance that draw on the public’s willingness to spend small sums of money in exchange for the chance to win a large sum. They are popular sources of revenue for states, which use them to pay for a wide range of public services and public works projects. They have a devoted following among some socioeconomic groups, including convenience store owners; lottery suppliers (heavy contributions by these vendors to state political campaigns are frequently reported); teachers (in states where lottery revenues are earmarked for education); and the elderly and young, who play less than those from middle age on up.
Those who play the lottery are encouraged to buy tickets by promoting the promise of huge prizes, often in the form of annuities paid over 30 years. These annuities, however, don’t sit in a vault, ready to be handed over to the winner. Instead, the total amount of the current prize pool is invested, and the proceeds are sucked up by inflation and taxes, leaving the winner with a much smaller sum than he or she might otherwise receive.
