Lottery is a procedure for distributing something (usually money or prizes) among many people by chance or in a random way. The term is also used to describe a type of gambling in which players purchase chances, called tickets, to win a prize. It is considered a form of gambling because it involves a risk of losing money.
In colonial America, lotteries played a significant role in the financing of both public and private ventures. Lottery proceeds helped to finance roads, libraries, churches, colleges and canals. In addition, it helped to fund many wars and the building of government buildings in the colonies. Lotteries were eventually outlawed, but by that time, they had acquired a reputation for crookedness that strengthened the arguments of those who opposed them.
New York State’s official lottery was established in 1967 after a constitutional amendment was passed to establish a government-run lottery. Since its inception, New York lottery proceeds have generated nearly $29.2 billion for education statewide. The funds are distributed by the Lottery’s Education Department through a budget process approved by the state legislature.
Lottery results are updated periodically after each drawing. During this period, the numbers and prize payouts listed on this website may change due to a variety of factors, such as ticket sales and the occurrence of unanticipated events. While every effort is made to ensure that the winning numbers, prize payouts and other information on this website are accurate, in the event of a discrepancy between the results posted here and those recorded during each drawing, the official results from the drawings shall prevail.