lottery

Definition of lottery in English English dictionary: Allotment; a thing allotted; A scheme for the distribution of prizes by lot or chance, especially a gaming scheme in which one or more tickets bearing particular numbers draw prizes, the other tickets are blanks; An affair of chance; {n} a distribution of prizes made by chance; a process, such as picking a name from a hat, through which goods are allocated randomly; Fig; The process that determines the order of selection, among the non-playoff teams, in the first round of the draft; Resume selection process whereby students are selected at random for interviews as an alternative to prescreening by employers; something that is regarded as a chance event; "the election was just a lottery to them"; A scheme for the distribution of prizes by lot or chance, especially a gaming scheme in which one or more tickets bearing particular numbers draw prizes, and the rest of tickets are blanks; game using probability to decide the winner -- "Tom, Dick, and Harry each bought five lottery tickets " (205); a form of consumer sales promotion in which purchasers are offered to win prizes if their names are drawn from a barrel; a game of chance Also called a Sweepstake; {i} game of chance in which a large number of tickets are sold and the winner is determined by randomly choosing one of the tickets, raffle; something whose outcome is determined by chance; A lottery is a type of gambling game in which people buy numbered tickets. Several numbers are then chosen, and the people who have those numbers on their tickets win a prize. the national lottery; players buy (or are given) chances and prizes are distributed according to the drawing of lots; A scheme for the distribution of prizes by lot or chance; esp; Funds derived from State lottery sales that began in 1985 Approximately 34% must be distributed to public schools and colleges Allocation is based upon prior year resident and non-resident attendance; n A voluntary tax paid by those who wish to experience what is it like to become filthy rich, ie to get inordinate sums of money for doing nothing; A lottery is a game of chance based upon the random selection of numbers Generally, lotteries are only legally operated by states, other governmental entities, or not-for-profit organizations; Each year, the U S makes 55,000 permanent resident visas (green cards) available by random selection through the diversity visa lottery Deadlines for applying are usually in the fall Decisions usually come the following spring or summer, and green cards are available the following fall; A tax on people who are bad at math; Plan that awards a prize on the basis of chance and requires consideration to enter It becomes a legal sweepstakes or game when consideration is removed, or a contest when chance is eliminated; If you describe something as a lottery, you mean that what happens depends entirely on luck or chance. Which judges are assigned to a case is always a bit of a lottery. Drawing of lots in which prizes are distributed to the winners among persons buying a chance. A form of gambling, lottery in its modern form may be traced to 15th-century Europe. The Continental Congress in 1776 voted to establish a lottery to raise funds for the American Revolution. By the mid-19th century, in the wake of abuses by private organizers, U.S. states began passing antilottery laws. An 1878 Supreme Court opinion held that lotteries had "a demoralizing influence upon the people," and by the 1890s most had been eliminated. A revival began in the mid-1960s; many state governments seeking revenues instituted officially sanctioned, independently audited lotteries. In most such operations, the bettor buys a numbered receipt or writes down his or her number choices, a drawing is held, and the winners identify themselves. The value of the prizes is the amount remaining after expenses and the state's share are deducted from the pool. Winnings are usually subject to taxes. The top prize can grow into the tens of millions, usually causing a buying frenzy as it increases, but the odds against winning remain astronomical; A scheme in which making a required purchase gives a person a chance to win a prize which is awarded at random, usually through an electronic drawing Lotteries may not be used as promotion devices under U S laws; a gaming scheme in which one or more tickets bearing particular numbers draw prizes, and the rest of the tickets are blanks; players buy (or are given) chances and prizes are distributed according to the drawing of lots something that is regarded as a chance event; "the election was just a lottery to them; Something that makes people believe in pure luck; rec gamblin lottery - The most active alt lotto players; The overall process that allows students to select an on campus room for the next academic year; a game in which the winners of the prizes are chosen at random, usually by drawing lots; Allotment; thing allotted
lottery winner: the winner of a lottery
lottery-ticket: raffle ticket, ticket for a game of chance, ticket for a prize drawing
postcode lottery: the unequal availability of services in different parts of the country; especially those services provided by the state
instant lottery: A scratchcard (called a scratch off, scratch ticket, scratcher, scratchie, scratch-it, scratch game, scratch-and-win, instant game or instant lottery in different places) is a small card, often made of thin paper-based card for competitions and plastic to conceal PINs, where one or more areas contain concealed information which can be revealed by scratching off an opaque covering
Israel State Lottery: lottery which is run by a government body and whose funds are used for the benefit of the community (Israel)
National Lottery: the UK lottery. Money collected by the lottery is partly given away in prizes, and partly given to support charity organizations, sports clubs, theatres etc. Although the chances of winning the lottery are extremely small, the prizes are very large, and this makes the lottery very popular
a lottery: lotto
came up in the lottery: appeared randomly, happened haphazardly
lotteries: plural of lottery
national soccer lottery: type of lottery in which players bet on the results of national league soccer games
won the lottery: won in a raffle, won a large sum of money