How to Gamble on the Lottery Online
The history of lottery goes back to the ancient Chinese, when the first known records of lotteries date from between 205 and 187 BC. The first lottery games were believed to have helped finance major government projects such as the Great Wall of China. Later, during the Roman Empire, lotteries were common and served as entertainment for dinner parties. Emperor Augustus even organized a lottery to raise money for the repair of the City of Rome. Today, lottery games are played in many countries.
Online lottery websites are available in most states and the District of Columbia. The primary utility of these websites is to provide lottery players with the latest results and contact information for their lottery board. A small handful of lottery sites have begun to expand their offerings with Instant Games, casino-style games that allow players to wager real money on. These games can be played on desktops or mobile devices. In addition to instant games, many states offer online lottery play. This makes the lottery game more convenient for players.
Lottery games differ in their probability of jackpot wins. The chances of hitting a jackpot depend on the number of winning numbers drawn, their order, and their significance. Some lotteries also award additional prizes to players who match some of the winning numbers. These additional prizes increase the value of a ticket. However, the value of a ticket is a function of its expected utility. It is possible to maximize the expected utility of lottery tickets by using a general utility function.