- [countable] a way of raising money for a government, charity, etc. by selling tickets that have different numbers on them that people have chosen. Numbers are then chosen by chance and the people who have those numbers on their tickets win prizes.
- the national/state lottery
- a lottery ticket
Culture lotterieslotteriesBritain first set up a national lottery in 1994, when the government approved the project despite strong opposition. The National Lottery is run by a private company, which was given the franchise (= licence) to run it by the National Lottery Commission.The lottery is very popular with the public and its ‘crossed fingers’ logo, a sign that is supposed to bring luck, is familiar throughout Britain. Several games can be played, of which Lotto is the most popular. Lottery tickets are sold at many shops and supermarkets, as well as online. You must be 16 to buy a ticket. For a minimum of £1, depending on the game, people choose a row or rows of six numbers between 1 and 59, or take a lucky dip of random numbers if they do not want to choose. The Lotto draw is broadcast live online every Saturday and Wednesday night. One of three machines containing 59 numbered balls is switched on and, after the balls have been turned, seven are tipped out. The first six are the winning numbers, the seventh is the bonus ball. Anyone who has chosen the six winning numbers wins or shares the jackpot (= the main prize), often worth several million pounds. People with three, four or five matching numbers, or five plus the bonus ball, can also win prizes. If nobody wins the jackpot there is a rollover to the next draw. Many people also buy scratch cards, cards which show, when the surface is scratched off, if the buyer has won a prize. Some of the money raised by the lottery is shared out among a variety of good causes such as the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Arts Council and UK Sport. The lottery is not popular with everyone, and many charities complain that they have received less money from the public since the lottery began.The US does not have a national lottery but there are lotteries in most states. You must be 18 to buy a ticket. US lotteries date back to 1776 when the Continental Congress gave its approval for lottery tickets to be sold to raise money for the American Revolution. America's strong religious groups have always been against long-running lotteries, and lottery games did not become official until the 1970s.Extra ExamplesTopics Moneyb2- A couple scooped £10 million on the national lottery.
- I won my car in a lottery
- These programs use state lotteries to fund the student awards.
- We're having a lottery to raise money for homeless families.
- a $3 million lottery jackpot
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- national
- state
- have
- hold
- run
- …
- fund something
- raise something
- ticket
- winner
- jackpot
- …
- in a/the lottery
- on the lottery
- [singular] (often disapproving) a situation whose success or result is based on luck rather than on effort or careful organization synonym gamble
- Some people think that marriage is a lottery.
- Politicians have acknowledged that it is a bit of a lottery who gets funding.
Word Originmid 16th cent.: probably from Dutch loterij, from lot ‘lot’.
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lottery