Lottery is a popular way for governments to raise revenue. It also has a long history, as it was used to distribute property in the Old Testament and by Roman emperors for municipal repairs and slaves. Nevertheless, it is controversial and subject to criticism. These concerns range from its alleged promotion of addictive gambling behavior and regressive impact on lower-income groups to its inherent conflict with state government’s obligation to protect the public welfare.

Despite this, most state lotteries continue to grow rapidly, often doubling or triple in size within the first few years after launch, then leveling off. To maintain or increase revenues, states introduce new games, including instant tickets like scratch-offs and keno, and increase promotion. Some also raise ticket prices.

While it is possible to pick your favorite numbers, winning the lottery takes more than just luck. It requires a strategy, says Stefan Mandel, the Romanian-born mathematician who has won the lottery 14 times. “The most important thing is to cover a large area of numbers,” he says. “Don’t group your numbers together, such as playing all the numbers that end with the same digit.” It’s very unlikely for any set of consecutive numbers to show up in successive drawings.

Although a purchase of lottery tickets cannot be rationally justified in terms of expected value maximization, people do buy them for entertainment and fantasy value. They also do so for the gratification of becoming wealthy, even though the probability of winning is very low. Finally, in many countries, such as the U.S., winners get to choose between annuity payments or a one-time lump sum payment.