The official lottery is a form of gambling in which numbers are drawn for a prize, usually money. It is a form of gambling that relies on chance, and its legality depends upon whether or not the winning numbers are legitimate.

The Lottery of Pennsylvania makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of winning numbers, prize payouts and other information posted on its websites. In the event of a discrepancy, official drawing results shall prevail. Playing the Lottery online offers fun, convenience and a chance to win big! Play in-state instant games and draw games and choose from a selection of exciting games including Mega Millions, Powerball and more. You can also find the latest winning numbers, second-chance prizes and jackpots on the go with the free PA Lottery app.

State lotteries began in America, but only after a century of European history that Cohen describes as “defined politically by Protestant distrust of government and its willingness to fund it through gambling.” It isn’t so surprising, then, that the lottery became popular in early America, despite Protestant proscriptions against gambling itself; John Hancock ran one to help build Faneuil Hall and George Washington used one to finance his attempt to build a road across a mountain pass.

As the popularity of state lotteries spread, their opponents were quick to argue that they weren’t just morally corrupt but fiscally irresponsible. They questioned both the ethics of funding public services through gambling and the amount that states stood to gain, and they complained that the money wouldn’t be spent wisely; for example, Cohen writes that a bingo game held by an Ohio high school raised more than a state lottery did in 1978.