The casting of lots to decide fates and allocate property has a long record in human history. But state-sponsored lotteries are a much more recent innovation. They are often criticised for being addictive, regressive to lower-income people and for generating excessive revenues. These criticisms are in some way responses to, and drivers of, the ongoing evolution of the industry.
Lottery works by creating a pool or collection of tickets and counterfoils from which winners are selected. They are thoroughly mixed – shaken or tossed, for example – using mechanical means, and the winners then selected by a process of random drawing. Computers are now used to help with this process.
Once the winning numbers and symbols are determined, a percentage of the pool is deducted for costs and profits, leaving the remaining amount available for prizes. The decision must be made whether to offer a few large prizes or many smaller ones. Potential bettors seem to be more attracted to the larger prizes, which leads to rollovers and other lottery events where tickets are wagered over and over again for the chance to win a big prize.
But even with this sliver of hope, most players lose money in the long run. The odds of winning a jackpot are usually very low and the money is paid in annual installments over 20 years, which quickly erodes the value. A few players, known as “super users”, do make a profit. But it’s estimated that only 10 per cent of those who play a lottery game actually end up winning anything.