Lottery is a game where a person can win money by chance. Most governments outlaw it, but some have legalized it. In the United States, state government grants itself a monopoly on lotteries and uses profits to fund a variety of public services. It is also used for education and other charitable purposes. The drawing of lots to determine ownership or other rights is cited in ancient documents, and lotteries were common in Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries. In colonial America, they helped finance towns, wars, colleges, canals, bridges, and other public projects. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, and other early American leaders were supporters of the lottery as a painless form of taxation.

A typical lottery has a set of numbers (usually from 1 to 31) that a player picks for a chance to win. The prize is based on how many of the chosen numbers match a second set chosen by a random drawing. In the United States, most people participate in state-sponsored lotteries. Some are privately run, while others are managed by federal or local agencies.

Harvard statistics professor Mark Glickman recommends avoiding picking personal numbers like birthdays or ages of family members. These numbers tend to have patterns that are more likely to repeat. He also suggests buying Quick Picks instead of choosing your own numbers. Using these numbers would force you to share the prize with more winners than if you picked your own numbers or used a random sequence of numbers.