Lottery is popular and raises billions for state governments, but it also deprives people of the money they might have saved for their retirement or children’s college tuition. Why does this happen, and can we do anything about it?

A lottery is a type of gambling where numbers are drawn randomly and those who match the winning numbers win the prize. The odds of winning vary based on how many tickets are sold, the price of the ticket and the size of the prize. Although the odds of winning are low, there is still a risk involved in playing. Unlike other forms of gambling, which tend to target certain demographic groups, the lottery targets everyone. As a result, it often has serious repercussions on low-income people and problem gamblers.

In the immediate post-World War II period, when lotteries first emerged, states could expand their social safety nets without having to increase taxes on the middle and working classes too much. But as state budgets have become more and more strained, the emphasis has been on generating revenue — and that often means encouraging people to play the lottery.

If you’re going to buy a lottery ticket, consider letting the computer pick your numbers for you or buying a Quick Pick. Harvard statistics professor Mark Glickman says people who select their own numbers should avoid numbers that have meaning like birthdays or ages because other players will likely do the same. Instead, he suggests choosing numbers that are far apart from each other, or ones that end in the same digit.