Lottery is a gambling game that’s designed to raise money by giving away prizes. People pay a little bit of money, like two dollars for a ticket, and then have a chance to win a big prize, such as millions of dollars.

State governments have long promoted lotteries as a way to help their citizens. In the immediate post-World War II period, that arrangement worked well: Lotteries allowed states to expand their social safety nets without especially onerous taxes on middle class and working class families. But that arrangement is unraveling. Inflation and the cost of the Vietnam War are causing states to look elsewhere for revenue, including raising income and sales taxes.

The big problem with replacing taxes with lottery revenue is that it tends to disproportionately burden lower-income families. Lottery studies have found that those with lower incomes play more, both in terms of ticket purchases and as a proportion of their disposable income. They may also be more likely to gamble on a lottery, perhaps believing that the dream of riches is within reach, or that they can buy their way out of poverty with a little luck.

If you’re going to play the lottery, here are some tips to improve your chances of winning: Avoid choosing numbers that mean something to you, such as birthdays or other personal numbers. Instead, choose random outside numbers that aren’t close together-the more distant the number groups, the better. Also, avoid playing all even or all odd numbers, which are less common.