The New York Lottery is administered by the New York State Gaming Commission and is federally and state-regulated. Lottery results and winning numbers are posted after each drawing. Please note that New York Lottery results are subject to federal and state tax withholdings.

For politicians confronted with budget crises and an increasingly antitax electorate, the lottery promised a way to maintain essential services without hiking taxes. It was, as Cohen writes, “a kind of magical money machine that seemed to appear out of nowhere and relieve politicians of the obligation to ever again rouse voters’ suspicions of their need for tax increases.”

But the magic didn’t last. Lottery proceeds soon proved insufficient to meet even the most minimal state needs. For example, in New Jersey, where proponents had dreamed of revenue in the hundreds of millions of dollars, the first legalized lottery brought in thirty-three million dollars the first year-about two per cent of the state’s revenue.

Despite the failure of lotteries to bring in enough money to cover basic costs, state governments have not given up on them. In fact, many states have expanded the variety of games on offer. In addition to traditional numbers games, they now sell scratch-off tickets and instant games; three, four and five number games, including keno; and video lottery terminals. And they all try to lure players by using the psychology of addiction. From the design of the tickets to the math behind their advertising campaigns, every element is calculated to keep people coming back for more.