乐透(lottery)

通过抽签摇彩，把奖金给予购买机会的人群中的赢家。是一种赌博形式，现代的抽奖形式可追溯到15世纪的欧洲。1776年的大陆会议投票决定建立抽奖活动来为美国独立革命筹措资金。到19世纪中期，美国各州鉴於私人机构滥用这种赌博式活动，开始通过反彩票的法律。1878年最高法院认为彩票活动会「对人民产生道德沦落的影响」。到1890年代，大部分此类活动都被取消了。1960年代中期又复苏，许多想增加财政收入的州政府建立起官方认可的、独立审计的乐透活动。大多数的运作是这样的：赌博者购买一张带有数字的收据或写下自己所选的数字，开奖後，凭据确认是否中奖。全部赌注除掉开销以及政府收取的份额，余下的就当作奖金。中奖者通常是要缴税的。最高奖金可高达几千万，当金额累计攀高时，通常会引起购买热潮，但中奖的机率微乎其微。

English version：

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.