Players buy chances and prizes are distributed according to the drawing of lots; SYN. drawing.
Game of chance in which tickets sold may win a prize. State-sponsored lotteries are an effective means of raising revenue, often used for education and other public needs.
In the us, the players choose numbers that, if selected in a random drawing, can bring the winner millions of dollars. In Illinois in 1984 one ticket brought a prize of $40 million.