The lottery is so appealing because it offers the possibility of instant wealth, and this is seen around the world. The lottery Its like the lottery is part of every fabric in the U. S. Powerball, Mega Millions, these names are as common as any, because of the hundred million and two hundred million dollar jackpots. But then again, what organization is the lotto in in the U. S.
State ownership
In the United States, lotteries are primarily state-run entities. I. e. every state has their own lottery, that they administer and control. At least according to my knowledge up to September 2021, 45 states, along with the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U. S. Virgin Islands have state lotteries. Alabama, alaska, hawaii, nevada, utah are the state(s) with out lotteries.
It is some sort of commission or board that is appointed by the governor or state legislature overseeing the lotteries. It is up to them to ensure that all the games are fair, to award prizes, to distribute the revenues in accordance with state laws. State lotteries are government entities, and are actually owned by the people(the people of the state).
Multistate lotteries
Each state has it's own lotto game(s) then most states also play the multistate lotteries, powerball and mega millions. These games are overseen by interstate consortiums.
Powerball is operated by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), a non-profit, government benefit organization comprised of an association of 31 state lotteries. MUSL is the organization used in every lottery jurisdiction in the U. S. to ensure that powerball is the same game no matter which jurisdiction it is offered in.
However, Mega Millions is administered by a consortium of 12 original lotteries. Oh kind of like powerball its multistate and there are these poopers that are adhered to.
However, remember, while these consortiums manage the games, the gate receipts remain in the states that are hosting. This money is used for prizes and other administrative costs and the remaining balance usually goes to some kind of public funding, like education or senior services or infrastructure development.
Private management
All lotteries are state run, but many states subcontract some of that work out to private companies. Be it ticketing, promoting, or some other type of management. In these cases, the state still owns and controls the lottery, but pays the private company through service fees, or a percent of sales.
Organizational structure
Every state lottery is run a little different because each state has its own laws and stuff. Some states actually have a lottery commission, and others just have it be a division of some other state department. Such as the New York Lottery which is overseen by the New York State Gaming Commission or the California Lottery, which is run by the California State Lottery Commission.
Impact on state revenues
Oh well state lotto's make a lot of money for a lot of state's. Sold 80 plus billion dollars in tickets in 2019 in the US, no wait, actually, well that money, after prizes, commissions, operational costs, blah, blah, blah, the actual profit just goes back into the state's general fund to support other programs.
What state is most likely to win the lottery?
As a way to make money for state stuff and as a form of entertainment.