Lottery is a lottery is a contest in which tokens are distributed or sold, the winning token(s) being secretly predetermined and ultimately selected by lot (the act of drawing lots). Lotteries may be used for various purposes, including military conscription, commercial promotions in which property is given away, or as a means of selecting jury members. In modern times, the most common type of lotteries involve payment for a chance to win a prize.

The word lottery derives from the Dutch noun lot, meaning fate, and is probably a calque on Middle Dutch loterie, “action of drawing lots.” A lottery is a form of gambling wherein winners are determined by random selection. There are many different kinds of lottery games, but the majority involve paying for a chance to win a prize in a drawing conducted by a private organization, public agency, or government. Often, the prizes are money or goods, but the odds of winning are very low.

People who play the lottery largely do so because they enjoy the thrill of it, although there is also an inextricable human impulse to gamble. There are a number of issues that have plagued the lottery industry in recent years, however: concerns over compulsive gambling, alleged regressive impacts on lower-income groups, and more. In addition, state lotteries have become heavily dependent on revenues for their continued existence. This dependency creates significant political and ethical issues. It is for these reasons that lotteries are increasingly being subject to scrutiny and criticism.