A lottery is a form of gambling which is present in United States and in Europe. It's guided by the government and that is why some countries don't have such a form of gambling since the government outlawed it, while in other countries it became a national lottery.

Ahead of the World War II this form of gambling was illegal, but in 1960 casinos and lotteries began to appear in USA and Europe and they were used as a means to raise revenue as well as taxes.

Sometimes the lottery is described as a regressive tax. It's described as a "tax on stupidity" because of the minimal chances to win the big prize. Even when it's used to describe this form of gambling, the phrase "tax" isn't strictly correct as these descriptions are used to make people recognize that these games are government-sanctioned operations and they attract only individuals who don't realize that buying a lottery ticket is a simple economic decision.

Lotteries come in several formats. Some lotteries can offer a prize which is determined by money and a lot of them on goods.

Lottery tickets tend to be checked on the computer using mark sense-technology, that will check in less than one second if a combination of numbers was chosen by anyone.

Do not think that the lottery was invented in 1960, after the World War II. Romans were first to play this game - this was a way to relax and amuse at dinner parties. The truth is the fact that it was not the same as nowadays lottery, because, even when guests were receiving some tickets (the prize often consisted of fancy items), individuals who were unlucky received prizes, casino online too. As such, this kind of lottery was a kind of distribution of gifts by wealthy noblemen.