A lottery is a type of gambling which is present in USA and in Europe. It is guided through the government and that’s the reason some countries don’t have such a type of gambling because the government outlawed it, while in other countries it became a national lottery.

Before the World War II this type 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 really is called a “tax on stupidity” as a result of the minimal chances to win the big prize. Even when it’s used to describe this form of gambling, the word “tax” is just not strictly correct because these descriptions are used to make people realize that these games are government-sanctioned operations and they attract only individuals who do not understand that buying a lottery ticket is a simple economic decision.

Lotteries come in lots of formats. Some lotteries can provide a prize which is based on money and a number of them on goods.

Lottery tickets tend to be checked on the computer using mark sense-technology, which could check in less than one second if a variety 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 that it was different from nowadays lottery, because, even if guests were receiving some tickets (the prize often consisted of fancy items), individuals who were unlucky received prizes, too. Therefore, this kind of lottery was a sort of distribution of gifts by wealthy noblemen.