Official Lottery is a free app for iOS or Android phones that lets users access their favorite lottery games. Users can view prize amounts and game details, find lottery retailers, create and save ePlayslips and enter their tickets into Second Chance Drawings. The app also features news, lottery results and a variety of other content.

Lotteries are a popular source of money in the United States and around the world. They can be played individually or jointly, and the prizes may consist of cash or goods. In the United States, there are several independent state lotteries and two major multi-state games that serve as de facto national lotteries.

While there are many different types of lotteries, most share certain qualities. The most basic type is a drawing in which a set of numbers are chosen at random. A winner is determined by matching the winning numbers. The drawing is typically conducted by a computer program, although some lotteries use human dealers to sell their tickets.

Generally, the winnings of a lotto are distributed to the winners via cash or a check. In some cases, the prize money is a fixed amount of cash or goods, while in others it is a percentage of ticket sales. Some lotteries sell instant tickets and keno, as well as the traditional draw games. The earliest records of lotteries are found in the Low Countries in the 15th century, where local lotteries were used to raise funds for town fortifications and to help poor citizens.