A lottery is an arrangement in which prizes are allocated by a process that relies on chance. While some prize allocation processes may be more or less complex, a lottery is not considered to be a gambling device because the probability of winning the prize depends on the number of tickets sold and the chances of being selected.

Lotteries began in the 14th century in Europe, and were used as a public fund-raising technique to finance everything from civil defense to public works to churches. By the middle of the 15th century, state-sponsored lotteries were well established. The word itself is thought to have originated from Middle Dutch loterie, with a possible calque on Middle French loterie, though the exact origin is not known.

State governments enacted lotteries because they needed the money, Cohen writes. Amid the economic stresses of the nineteen-sixties, when America’s prosperity started to wane, state coffers were emptying rapidly. Balancing budgets without raising taxes or cutting services became impossible, and the lottery seemed like a good alternative.

But the lottery also preys on poor people, Bernal writes. They are continuously paying into a system that gives them nothing in return, but that promises the wealth of others. And, he says, the odds of winning are terrible for everyone, but especially those who live in low-income communities. “When the economy falters and unemployment rates rise, lotteries tend to become more popular,” he writes. “They offer a false promise of economic prosperity.” (A version of this article originally appeared in the New York Times.)