The lottery is the most popular form of gambling in the United States. It raises enormous sums of money for state governments—over $100 billion in 2021—and attracts millions of players. Yet it’s also a source of controversy, with critics accusing the lottery of promoting addictive gambling behavior and serving as a regressive tax on lower-income people. Others point to the lottery as a tool for reducing public debt and encouraging philanthropy, although those claims are harder to support.

Lotteries are arrangements where prizes—usually money but sometimes goods or services—are awarded by chance, and participation is voluntary. The practice dates back centuries. The Old Testament includes instructions for Moses to take a census of the people and divide their land by lot, and Roman emperors used lotteries to give away property and slaves. Lotteries were introduced to America in the 16th century and played a role in financing early colonial expansion. Benjamin Franklin even sponsored a lottery to raise funds for cannons to defend Philadelphia against the British.

Today, more than half of Americans buy a ticket at least once a year. But the distribution of play is uneven: The vast majority of lotto players are white and male, with disproportionately lower incomes than their share of the population. In general, lottery play declines with age and education. Lottery revenues are also skewed by geography, with states in the Northeast more likely to have a lottery than those in the South. This reflects the post-World War II belief that the lottery can help governments reduce taxes on the middle class and working class, and expand social safety net services.