Lottery
A gambling game in which tickets bearing a number are drawn for prizes. Also, any scheme for distribution of prizes by chance.
Lottery is a popular way for state governments to raise money for projects such as roads, schools, and hospitals. But critics say it’s a form of gambling that can become addictive. Plus, winning the lottery means you’ll have to pay taxes on the prize money you receive. And the chances of winning a jackpot are very slim.
Most states have a state-sponsored lottery with games such as scratch-off and daily games that use numbers on tickets to win prizes. Usually, people purchase a ticket for a small amount of money and select groups of numbers or have machines randomly spit out a group of numbers. The person with the most matching numbers wins a prize. These prizes may include cash, goods, or services. Some people even win free college tuition or a house through lottery games.
In the past, people sometimes used lotteries to determine who would get certain jobs, housing, or even a marriage partner. But there are now other ways to decide these things that are fairer to all parties involved. For example, some companies now hold a lottery to give away employee jobs or to hire new staff. Other examples are the green card lottery and the kindergarten placement lottery. Some people think life is a lottery and that everything depends on luck.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online sources to reflect current usage of the word ‘lottery.’ Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
