Lottery
In short
A game of chance where players pay money for a chance to win a prize by matching randomly drawn numbers.
In plain words
You buy a ticket with some numbers on it. A machine picks random numbers, and if yours match, you win money. It is a type of gambling often run by governments.
A simple example
A person buys a ticket for ten pounds and picks the numbers 5, 12, and 22. If the official draw picks those exact numbers, the person wins a jackpot.
Why it matters
Lotteries are used by many governments to raise huge amounts of money for public services like schools or hospitals. They are also a major part of the global gambling industry.
Easy to mix up
It is often confused with a raffle, where you usually win a specific physical prize rather than a cash jackpot.