Lottery is an activity or event that involves a random selection of tokens or tickets for prizes. It can also refer to a process for selecting participants in an arrangement that depends on chance, such as a sports team draft or kindergarten placements.

The word lottery is probably derived from Middle Dutch lotinge, which means “action of drawing lots” (according to the American Heritage Dictionary). The first recorded use of the word was in the 15th century, when various towns held public lotteries to raise money for town fortifications and poor relief.

Historically, state-sponsored lotteries have been relatively simple: They require participants to pay for a ticket and wait for a drawing at some future date, weeks or months away. More recently, however, states have introduced new games designed to keep participants interested. The resulting revenues have been higher than those from traditional lotteries, and are often enough to justify the costs of the lottery’s operation.

While some people play the lottery several times a week (“frequent players”), others participate less frequently, playing a few times per month or fewer (“occasional players”). The American Heritage Dictionary notes that high-school educated, middle-aged men are more likely to be frequent players than other demographic groups.