A lottery is an organized arrangement in which a prize or other advantage is awarded by chance. In the past, the practice has been used to distribute land, slaves, and other property among a population. It has also been used as a way to fund public works projects, such as building a road across the Blue Ridge Mountains in colonial America and paving streets in London.

In the United States, state lotteries are popular with a broad cross-section of the population. A recent study found that 57 percent of Americans play the lottery at least once a year. But the popularity of the lottery has been accompanied by persistent criticism, both of the overall desirability of the enterprise and specific features of its operation, including the problem of compulsive gambling and its alleged regressive impact on lower-income groups.

These critics often argue that the lottery is a hidden tax on low-income people. They point out that the game draws players from a wide range of income levels, but those on the lowest rungs of the economic ladder disproportionately purchase tickets. This makes the games a disguised form of redistribution, and it is important to understand how such schemes work and how they are promoted by those who run them.

Lottery officials generally downplay these concerns by focusing on two messages primarily. One is that playing the lottery is fun. The other is that people should feel good about themselves because the games raise money for the state. The latter message obscures the regressive nature of the lottery and, implicitly, the extent to which it is a hidden tax on low-income individuals.