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Lottery opponents in the early years of American history hailed from all walks of life and all political stripes, but they were united by their moral qualms about state-sanctioned gambling. They also feared that crooked officials would take advantage of the new money to fund municipal projects and to bolster salaries and pensions.

State lotteries grew in popularity in the mid-20th century, partly because of a need for revenue in a time when taxes were high and wars costly. Some states even used the funds to help their poorest residents.

But critics point out that lottery dollars are inefficiently collected and, in the end, a small drop in the bucket of actual state budgets. And they argue that lottery advertising disproportionately targets low-income communities, encouraging people to gamble and believing that it is a quick way to build wealth.

New York legislators say lottery winners are often harassed by financial advisors, solicitors and scammers who want to help them invest their windfalls. Several have been pushed out of their homes or into bankruptcy by people trying to take advantage of them.