A lottery is a game in which participants pay a small amount of money to have the opportunity to win a large prize if their numbers match those drawn at random. The prize money may be anything from a luxury home to a sports team. The lottery is a form of gambling and is regulated by state law in the United States. The game also exists in some other countries.

The concept of lotteries dates back to ancient times. It was common for wealthy people in ancient Rome to distribute articles of unequal value as an amusement at dinner parties or during Saturnalian celebrations. The practice was also used in the British colonies to raise money for public projects such as roads, canals, churches, libraries, and colleges.

Modern lotteries usually use random number generators to select winning combinations of numbers. The higher the number of matches made, the bigger the prize. In many cases, players can choose to play a multi-draw ticket which allows them to participate in multiple lottery drawings on one ticket.

The State Controller’s Office determines how much Lottery funds are dispersed to each county based on Average Daily Attendance (ADA) for K-12 schools and full-time enrollment for community college and higher education. Click on a county to view its contributions.