The lottery is a big business that contributes billions to state budgets. It’s also a popular gambling activity. People across the country play for the chance to win millions of dollars in prize money. But how much of the money people spend on lottery tickets is actually going toward state services? And does it make financial sense for people to buy a lot of tickets?

There are many different strategies that people use to try and increase their chances of winning the lottery. One of the most common is to form a lottery syndicate with friends or family. This involves pooling money to purchase multiple tickets in the hope that one of them will hit the jackpot. Another strategy is to try and avoid numbers that have come up in previous drawings. This can be a good idea, but it’s important to remember that any number in the lottery is as random as any other.

Lottery games date back centuries, and have been used by both ancient Egyptians and Roman emperors to give away slaves and property. In colonial America, they helped finance everything from canals to colleges. Lotteries are a major source of revenue for state governments, but they’re not as transparent as a normal tax. And most consumers don’t understand the implicit tax rate they pay when buying a ticket.

Some states have a larger social safety net than others, and they see the lottery as a way to raise funds without raising taxes on the working class and middle class. But it’s unclear how meaningful that extra revenue is to the overall health of state budgets and whether it’s worth the trade-off for the working class.

In an age of inequality and limited opportunity, there’s no doubt that the lottery has a huge appeal. Whether it’s the promise of instant riches or the inextricable human urge to gamble, the lottery has a strong grip on many people’s wallets. But it’s important to consider the cost of that gambling before making a decision to play.

In this episode of CNBC Make It, we’ll take a look at the history and economics of the lottery, and find out how people can maximize their chances of winning. We’ll also examine some of the biggest scams in the history of the lottery, and learn how to make smarter choices when buying a ticket.