a competition in which numbered tickets are sold and prizes (often cash) are awarded to those whose numbers are drawn at random. Usually, a percentage of the total amount staked is deducted to cover the costs of organizing and promoting the lottery, and the remainder may be divided into a few large prizes or many smaller ones.

Historically, lotteries have raised money for public projects, such as building roads or funding wars. But they also play an important role in the cultural imagination, by evoking a sense of possibility and hope, especially for those with limited access to other sources of wealth. For example, the NBA holds a lottery to determine which of its 14 teams will get first crack at selecting college talent in the draft.

Some people simply like to gamble, and the lottery offers a way to do so on a grand scale with relatively low risk. But there’s a more troubling underbelly to the lottery: it dangles the promise of instant riches in an era of inequality and limited social mobility.

If the entertainment value of playing the lottery is high enough, then the expected utility of a monetary gain can outweigh the disutility of a monetary loss—and a person can rationally purchase a ticket. But the truth is that most of us are not going to win. And the fact that many of our governments, not to mention private companies, are profiting enormously from this irrational pursuit makes it all the more disturbing.