lottery

Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

lot·tery [lottery lotteries] BrE [ˈlɒtəri] NAmE [ˈlɑːtəri] noun (pl. lot·teries)
1. 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
compare ↑draw, ↑raffle
2. singular (often disapproving)a situation whose success or result is based on luck rather than on effort or careful organization
Syn: ↑gamble
•Some people think that marriage is a lottery.
see also ↑postcode lottery

Word Origin:
mid 16th cent.: probably from Dutch loterij, from lot ‘lot’.

Culture:
lotteries
Britain did not have a national lottery until 1994 when the government finally approved the project despite strong opposition. The National Lottery is run by a private company, ↑Camelot, which was given the franchise (= licence) to run it by the National Lottery Commission.
The lottery was an immediate success with the public and its ‘crossed fingers’ logo, a gesture supposed to bring luck, is familiar throughout Britain. Lottery tickets are sold at many shops and supermarkets. For £1 people choose a row of six numbers between 1 and 49, or take a lucky dip of random numbers. The draw ceremony is broadcast every Saturday and Wednesday night. One of three machines containing 49 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), 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. About 65% of adults play every week. Some also buy Instants, cards which show, when the surface is scratched off, if the buyer has won a prize.
Most 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. 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.

Example Bank:
•A couple scooped £10 million on the national lottery.
•I won my car in a lottery
•The lottery has raised millions of pounds.
•The second ball rolled from the lottery machine.
•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
•the company that ran the state lottery
•Politicians have acknowledged that it is a bit of a lottery who gets funding.