Lottery has a long history, but its modern incarnation—a state-sponsored game with a capped prize pool and an advertised chance to win a large sum of money—dates only to the nineteenth century. It came of age as a popular form of gambling in an era when American politics was wracked by tax revolts and state governments struggled to balance budgets without raising taxes or cutting services.
Many states have lotteries to raise money for a variety of public projects, including paving streets, building wharves, and financing churches. Some have also used them to finance the construction of universities, including Harvard and Yale. Despite conservative Protestant objections to gambling, lottery proceeds helped fuel the early growth of America.
Most people who play lotteries buy tickets for the chance to win big, and they often have quotes-unquote systems for picking their numbers based on things like their birthdays or what store they’re at when they buy their tickets. They also rely on the message that winning is not only possible but also “a civic duty.”
The vast majority of the money awarded to winners goes to administrative costs, prizes, and a portion for profits or advertising. The remainder is available to the winner. Since ticket sales increase dramatically when the jackpot gets high, the odds of winning—which, as Chartier points out, are a combination of the odds of one number in three million and the number of entries—remain relatively low. This creates a virtuous cycle of growing jackpots and increasing ticket sales.