The lottery is an arrangement of prizes wherein the prizes are allocated by a process which relies wholly on chance. In this way it differs from gambling, which involves the payment of consideration in exchange for a chance to win.
Modern lotteries of this type include those used to select military conscripts, commercial promotions in which property is awarded by a random procedure, and the selection of jury members from lists of registered voters. In the strict sense of the term, however, only the latter two types are true lotteries.
In the case of a lottery, the price paid for a ticket is typically small relative to the prize amount, but the ticket still represents a risky decision in terms of expected utility. Hence, the purchase of a ticket may be a rational choice if the entertainment value obtained by playing the lottery is high enough to offset the disutility of a monetary loss.
This is especially true for individuals who are not able to save, so the opportunity to change their financial status by winning the lottery represents a very real possibility to improve their lives in significant ways. However, if you do win the lottery, understand that with great wealth comes responsibility. The right thing to do from a societal perspective is to use your wealth to enrich the lives of others. This is not only the right thing to do, but it will also be personally fulfilling for you.