Official lottery is a procedure for distributing something (often money or prizes) among a group of people by chance or in a random fashion. Lotteries can be either gambling or non-gambling, depending on whether payment is required in order to participate. The term is usually applied to those public games where participants pay a small amount of money in exchange for the opportunity to win a larger prize, and the winning tickets are selected by random drawing or other means. Other types of lottery include military conscription, commercial promotions in which property is given away, and even jury selection.

In the United States, lotteries have been a source of both large profits for the private promoters and, as a consequence, a great deal of public outrage. The early American lottery, for example, served as a kind of voluntary tax that helped build Harvard, Dartmouth, Yale, Princeton, and other colleges, and the Continental Congress attempted to use one to help fund the Revolutionary War.

New York’s official lottery has been around since 1967, when it began with the slogan “Your Chance of a Lifetime to Help Education.” Proceeds from ticket sales are used for state education. It sells a variety of draw games, including scratchcards, which feature areas covered by a thin layer of opaque latex that must be scraped off to reveal items or pictures beneath. The cards can be purchased in newsagents and supermarkets, and some cost PS1, PS2, or PS5. In order to win, you must match all six numbers or symbols.