A lottery is a form of gambling in which players purchase tickets and then compete for a prize. The most common type of lottery involves a DRAW, where numbers or symbols are randomly chosen from a pool. Players who match the numbers or symbols win the prize. Other types of lotteries include CHANCE games such as SWEEPSTAKES, tombola, and RAFFLE. SWEEPSTAKES involve entering a contest to win a prize, while tombola and RAFFLE involve buying tickets for a CHANCE to win a prize.