The lottery is a vehicle through which states raise a lot of dough for their schools and other public-service projects, while taking advantage of people who can’t do the math to figure out how bad a deal they’re getting. It’s also a twisted form of meritocracy in which the long shot is seen as our best hope for a better life.

The drawing of lots to determine ownership or other rights has a long record in human history, including several instances in the Bible. It was later used by public and private organizations to raise money for towns, wars, colleges, and other public-works projects. In the early United States, lotteries were a popular way to sell land and other properties. Privately organized lotteries were also common, and were used by wealthy individuals to sell products and services for more than they could obtain by ordinary sales.

Although some of these lottery players have “quote-unquote” systems that are totally unsupported by statistical reasoning, many of them go into the game clear-eyed about the odds. They know that there is a high probability that they won’t win. And they’re willing to buy tickets anyway because they see the chance as a low-risk investment that might pay off big. As a group, these people contribute billions to government receipts that they might otherwise be saving for retirement or college tuition, and they spend far more than they earn. In addition, they’re often paying tax on their winnings — a process that can shrink the amount of their prize.