Lottery:
A competition based on chance in which numbered tickets are sold, and prizes awarded to those whose numbers match those drawn at random. It is a common method of raising money for public purposes, including building roads, canals, libraries, churches, schools, and other projects.
Lotteries have become an important source of revenue for state governments. In an anti-tax era, lottery revenues are an attractive alternative to higher taxes. However, they come with their own set of problems. Most importantly, they are an example of how difficult it can be for any government to manage an activity from which it profits. In many cases, the evolution of lottery programs is piecemeal and incremental, and officials often lack a general overview.
Moreover, the people who play the lottery are usually predisposed to covet money and the things that it can buy, in violation of the biblical commandments against coveting (Exodus 20:17 and 1 Timothy 6:10). Consequently, they are often deceived by the false promise that life will be better if they win the lottery. Such hopes are empty (see Ecclesiastes 5:10).
Lottery players also tend to be irrational, making all sorts of unfounded claim and speculation about which numbers to choose, where and when to buy tickets, and what kinds of tickets to buy. Yet they play, and they are often able to sustain this irrational behavior because they believe that the game is their last, best, or only hope for a better life.
