Small Society Lottery Factsheet

What is a lottery?

A lottery is a kind of gambling that has three essential ingredients:

  1. You have to pay to enter the game
  2. There is always at least one prize
  3. Prizes are awarded purely on chance

A typical small lottery is a raffle where players buy a ticket with a number on it; the tickets are randomly drawn and those holding the same numbered ticket win a prize. Other versions include sweepstakes and 100 clubs. Whilst there is no maximum price for a ticket, in each lottery all tickets must cost the same. That way, everyone has the same chance of winning for the same outlay.