A lottery is a procedure for distributing something (usually money or prizes) among a group of people by chance. The term is also used to describe a game in which participants pay for the opportunity to win a prize. The amount of money taken in by a lottery is used to award prizes and to pay administrative costs. The amount left over is profit. Lotteries are legal in most countries and are extremely popular.
Lotteries can be used to finance public or private ventures, including education, roads, canals, bridges, and buildings. In colonial America, private and state lotteries helped to finance schools, churches, libraries, and other public buildings. In addition, the lotteries played a significant role in raising money for both the provincial governments and the Continental Congress during the American Revolution.
The modern sense of the word lottery first appeared in the Low Countries in the 15th century, with towns attempting to raise funds for town fortifications and to help the poor. The name may be a calque from Middle Dutch loterie, itself derived from the verb lotere “to draw lots,” or it may be from the Latin ventura, from which the word came to mean “fateful or fortuitous event.”
Lottery players can choose to take their winnings all at once in a lump sum or in an annuity payment. Winners are generally required to pay taxes on their winnings. In some countries, notably the United States, winners can choose to invest their winnings and collect annuity payments over a number of years before receiving a final, tax-free lump sum.