The official lottery is one of the most popular forms of gambling in the US. In 2021 alone, Americans spent upwards of $100 billion on tickets. State lotteries are marketed as “civic duty” and an alternative to taxes, but the percentage of state revenue they raise is relatively small. The real question is whether that money is worth the price of people losing money in order to support a government program they may or may not believe in.

The first public lotteries were held in the 15th century as a way of raising funds for town fortifications, helping the poor, and building churches. In colonial America, they helped establish several colleges, including Harvard, Dartmouth, and Yale. They also helped fund roads, canals, and ferries.

In the immediate post-World War II period, many states saw lotteries as a way to expand their array of services without the burden of hefty taxes on the middle class and working class. But that arrangement lasted only a few decades before states began to see the drawbacks of relying on lottery revenue to pay for their social safety net.

As a result, some researchers have begun to criticize the way in which state lotteries are marketed and sold, noting that they tend to take advantage of low-income communities and reinforce racial and socioeconomic inequality in society. The Howard Center for Investigative Journalism found that, in many states, lottery retailers are disproportionately located in lower-income neighborhoods and in black and Latino communities.