An official lottery is a state-sponsored game of chance in which the participants buy tickets to win a prize. It is a common form of gambling in many European countries, Latin America, and Africa and is legal in some states in the United States. Lottery revenues, however, are only a drop in the bucket for state governments and are often inefficiently collected. The game has also been linked to a higher incidence of crookedness and crime.
State legislatures create the games by statute and appoint a lottery director or board to oversee operations. The board sets the rules for the lottery, including how long a winner has to claim their prize and the documents required to do so. It also regulates the frequency of drawings and the types of prizes offered. The lottery can be operated by a public agency or a private organization. It is important to note that state and local laws can regulate or even ban private lotteries.
Proponents of the lottery argue that its revenue is a necessary evil, because people will gamble anyway. This argument is flawed because, as Cohen argues, it neglects the fact that government has a moral obligation to protect citizens and limit their ability to engage in dangerous activities. The lottery is one of the most dangerous of these activities because it targets vulnerable populations and fuels a cycle of addiction. As a result, the lottery is more harmful than useful to society.