In an age where many people feel that their lives have been rigged, the lottery is one place where a tiny sliver of hope remains. It’s a chance to get out of debt, buy a house, or maybe even a new life. But, as a form of gambling, the lottery is not without its pitfalls. Some of the biggest winners may not be able to spend it all, and others are left wondering whether or not they really won.

While some states have reverted to lotteries in an attempt to bolster budgets, the majority of states have stopped holding them altogether or have made the games much more restrictive. In fact, some state lotteries are now akin to raffles. They offer prizes, often in the form of cash, for tickets purchased from licensed businesses, including private schools, banks and credit unions.

These lotteries are largely run as private businesses, and their goal is to maximize revenues. However, they’re at cross-purposes with the broader public interest. The advertising that promotes them often plays into myths about how the game works, and it encourages players to spend a large proportion of their income on tickets.

In the past, lotteries were widely used by both governments and private businesses to raise money for a variety of public projects. Benjamin Franklin, for example, held a lottery to help fund cannons to defend Philadelphia during the American Revolution, and Thomas Jefferson tried to use one to alleviate his crushing debts.