A lottery is an arrangement in which one or more prizes are allocated to paying participants through a process that depends on chance. It is often used when there is high demand for something that is limited, such as units in a subsidized housing block or kindergarten placements at a reputable public school. Lotteries are also a popular form of gambling, encouraging people to pay a small amount of money in exchange for the opportunity to win a large prize.
The first recorded lotteries in Europe were held in the Low Countries in the 15th century to raise funds for town fortifications, and a record of one in Ghent dated 9 May 1445 at L’Ecluse refers to raising money to help the poor. In the early modern period, lottery games became popular as a means of funding scientific experiments and military conscription.
In the United States, state governments grant themselves monopoly rights to operate lotteries and use profits to fund government programs. Lotteries are usually regulated by law, and enforcement authority for fraud or abuse rests with the attorney general’s office or state police in most states.