Lottery is a form of gambling in which participants purchase tickets for a chance to win a prize. Prizes are usually money, but may also be goods or services. The prizes are awarded based on the number of winning tickets. Unlike other forms of gambling, lottery proceeds are not normally taxed. As a result, the prizes are generally higher than would be possible with ordinary taxation. Lottery is a popular form of entertainment and is played in many countries around the world.
The origin of lotteries is obscure, although they probably date back at least to ancient times. In the 17th century it became common in Europe to hold public lotteries as a way of raising money for a variety of uses. These lotteries were often hailed as a painless alternative to taxes and helped finance roads, libraries, churches, canals, bridges, universities and other public works.
It is also likely that people bought lotteries simply to experience a thrill and indulge in a fantasy of becoming rich. Lottery advertising certainly plays on this intangible benefit by highlighting the huge sums that can be won.
The purchase of lottery tickets cannot be accounted for by decision models based on expected value maximization because the cost of purchasing a ticket is greater than the expected gain. However, decision models based on utility functions defined on things other than the lottery outcomes can account for this behavior. These models can also capture risk-seeking behavior.