The casting of lots to make decisions and determine fates has a long history in human society, but the modern lottery is much more recent. States typically establish a state agency or public corporation to run the lottery; start with a small number of relatively simple games; and, driven by constant pressure for additional revenues, gradually expand the game with new games. These innovations can include keno, video poker, and the introduction of super-sized jackpots that generate enormous press coverage.

While a large jackpot can attract new players and increase ticket sales, the odds of winning are low, so a good strategy is to play smaller games with less participants, such as a state pick-3 game. Buying more tickets can also slightly improve your odds, but it’s important to avoid playing numbers with sentimental value, like those associated with birthdays or anniversaries. Instead, select random numbers that are far apart from each other so other players won’t choose those same sequences.

There is, of course, a fundamental reason why people play the lottery, namely that they enjoy gambling. But the message that lottery commissions deliver, mainly through billboards highlighting big prizes, is that lotteries are a way to win money for free—a message coded to conceal how much people actually spend on tickets. The truth is that lottery commissioners are chasing a high-return policy with low-hanging fruit: They know that the public has an inextricable appetite for gambling and that they have the power to entice it with the promise of wealth.