Lotteries are a fixture in modern society, with Americans spending upward of $100 billion annually on tickets. But they weren’t always a popular pastime. During the French Revolution, philosophers like Voltaire and clergyman complained that lotteries exploited the poor. They weren’t completely wrong: Lotteries aren’t tax-deductible and they do provide some state revenue, but it’s a tiny portion of overall state revenue, amounting to no more than 2 percent for most states.

Lottery proceeds are used for public education systems. They’re also a big draw for low-income communities, which are disproportionately made up of black and brown Americans. Those folks feel pressure to get ahead and believe the lottery is a way to do so. But the odds of winning are extremely low. In fact, lottery critics say that lotteries are regressive, as lower-income people spend more of their budgets on the games than higher-income groups do. In addition, more money is wagered on instant scratch-off games, which attract low-income gamblers, than on larger jackpot drawings such as Powerball.

In the United States, lottery games are operated by state and territorial governments or private-sector companies licensed to sell them. The New York State Gaming Commission oversees the lottery, which was first established in 1967. New York State’s slogan is “Your Chance of a Lifetime to Help Education.” Proceeds from the lottery go toward public school education in the state. In addition to the New York State lottery, there are two other national lotteries: the Powerball and Mega Millions.