Lottery

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Lottery \Lot"ter*y\, n.; pl. {Lotteries}. [Lot + -ery, as in
     brewery, bindery.]
     1. A scheme for the distribution of prizes by lot or chance;
        esp., a gaming scheme in which one or more tickets bearing
        particular numbers draw prizes, and the rest of the
        tickets are blanks. Fig.: An affair of chance.


        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: The laws of the United States and of most of the States
           make private lotteries illegal, except in certain
           circumstances for charitable institutions; however,
           many of the states now conduct lotteries tehmselves as
           a revenue source.
           [1913 Webster +PJC]
  
     2. Allotment; thing allotted. [Obs.] --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  lottery
       n 1: something that is regarded as a chance event; "the election
            was just a lottery to them"
       2: players buy (or are given) chances and prizes are
          distributed according to the drawing of lots [syn: {drawing}]

From Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856) [bouvier]:

  LOTTERY. A scheme for the distribution of prizes by chance. 
       2. In most, if not all of the United States, lotteries not specially 
  authorized by the legislatures of the respective states are prohibited, and 
  the persons concerned in establishing them are subjected to a heavy penalty. 
  This is the case in Alabama, Connecticut Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, 
  Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode 
  Island, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia. In Louisiana, a license is granted 
  to sell tickets in a lottery not authorized by the legislature of that 
  state, on the payment of $5000, and the license extends only to one lottery. 
  In many of the states, the lotteries authorized by other states, are 
  absolutely prohibited Encycl. Amer. h.t.