A lottery is a gambling game in which numbers are drawn at random to determine winners. It is a popular method of raising money for public causes and can be run in any form, from scratch tickets to video poker. The first lotteries in Europe were held in 15th-century Burgundy and Flanders by towns attempting to raise money to fortify their walls or aid the poor. Francis I of France permitted the establishment of private and commercial lotteries in several cities in 1520.

State governments typically legislate a monopoly for themselves; establish a public corporation or agency to run the lottery; and start operations with a modest number of relatively simple games. Pressure for additional revenues leads to gradual expansion in the scope and variety of games offered, and in some cases, a focus on marketing to attract new players. Moreover, the fact that most lotteries are promoted as benefiting a specific public cause – such as education – is often cited as an important factor in winning and maintaining broad public support.

But despite the widespread popularity of lotteries, they are not without controversy. Some critics have focused on the fact that lotteries are a form of gambling and can have negative consequences for the poor, compulsive gamblers, etc. Others have questioned whether the general public is best served by running a lottery that essentially operates at cross-purposes to the state’s overall fiscal goals.