The casting of lots for determining fates and ownership or other rights has a long history (including several instances in the Bible). The lottery—wherein people pay to enter a competition with prizes that can range from a few thousand dollars to millions of dollars—is more recent, dating back only to the 15th century. The first recorded public lotteries, which offered tickets and prizes in the form of money, were held in the Low Countries. They were widely used to raise funds for a variety of purposes, including town fortifications and poor relief.

A key reason lottery games have grown to such enormous size is their prize structure. Large jackpots encourage ticket sales, and they generate a lot of free publicity on news sites and television and radio broadcasts. It’s not hard to understand why a savvy marketer would want to boost jackpots, which are also good for the bottom line.

Lottery commissions have changed their message from “lottery is addictive” to one that stresses the fun of playing and the experience of scratching a ticket. This messaging obscures the regressive nature of lottery games, as many lower-income people play in order to improve their standard of living or indulge in a fantasy of becoming rich. It’s also worth noting that lottery participation is disproportionately high in middle-income neighborhoods, while low-income neighborhoods play at significantly lower levels. In addition, the winners of the biggest jackpots tend to be a small percentage of the total number of tickets sold.