The official lottery is a state-run gambling enterprise whose stated purpose is to raise money for a designated beneficiary. In the United States, for instance, a large number of lotteries are run to fund public education systems. State-run lotteries can be a lucrative source of revenue. They typically consist of a combination of scratch tickets and number-picking games with sizable cash prizes. They may also include keno and video lottery terminals. A growing number of states have adopted measures to prevent problem gambling, including requiring that all lottery tickets contain a toll-free gambler’s assistance hotline phone number and establishing a state fund for the benefit of problem gamblers.

Cohen argues that the lottery’s modern incarnation arose in the nineteen-sixties, when a swell of population growth and inflation led to a crisis in state funding. Many states could not balance their budgets without raising taxes or cutting services, which would anger voters. In this climate, the state-sponsored lottery became a solution of sorts, allowing governments to raise substantial sums while avoiding a political firestorm.

But the lottery was controversial even in its earliest days, and critics hailed from all walks of life and political affiliation. Some, like devout Protestants, argued that government-sanctioned gambling was morally wrong. Others worried that the lottery was not a reliable way to finance public services. But these objections were not enough to derail the lottery’s rise, and it now raises billions of dollars each year around the world.