Lottery games are run by the state and regulated by state law. Players must be 18 years or older and are required to pay taxes. Winning numbers and prize payouts are based on official drawings conducted under the supervision of an independent accounting firm. The Pennsylvania Lottery website and app offer a variety of entertaining and easy-to-play games including instant and drawing-style (listed above) games, which are available to play at authorized retailers throughout the state. The Where to Play page helps you find a retailer near you and the Player Checklist provides helpful reminders.

The biggest message is that playing the lottery is fun. Lottery officials use this to obscure that it’s a form of gambling. It also obscures the regressivity, the fact that committed gamblers spend large parts of their income on tickets and that the lottery is a massively unequal game.

A few decades ago, states started running lotteries to raise money for themselves. As Cohen explains, they offered politicians the opportunity to make revenue appear out of thin air, relieving them of the need to consider raising taxes and therefore getting punished at the polls. In reality, though, state lottery revenue is only a drop in the bucket in terms of overall state revenue.

As a result, many winners are harassed by financial advisors and solicitors who want to take advantage of their sudden wealth. This led New York Senator Joe Addabbo to reintroduce a bill that would allow lottery winners to decide whether they want their name and image used publicly, limiting exposure to scammers.