- [countable]
a way of raising money for a government, charity, etc. by selling tickets that have different numbers on them that people have chosen. Numbers are then chosen by chance and the people who have those numbers on their tickets win prizes. （用发行彩票为政府、慈善机构等集资的）抽彩给奖法 the national/state lottery 全国的／州的彩票抽奖 a lottery ticket 彩票
Culture lotterieslotteriesBritain first set up a national lottery in 1994, when the government approved the project despite strong opposition. The National Lottery is run by a private company, which was given the franchise (= licence) to run it by the National Lottery Commission.The lottery is very popular with the public and its ‘crossed fingers’ logo, a sign that is supposed to bring luck, is familiar throughout Britain. Several games can be played, of which Lotto is the most popular. Lottery tickets are sold at many shops and supermarkets, as well as online. You must be 16 to buy a ticket. For a minimum of £1, depending on the game, people choose a row or rows of six numbers between 1 and 59, or take a lucky dip of random numbers if they do not want to choose. The Lotto draw is broadcast live online every Saturday and Wednesday night. One of three machines containing 59 numbered balls is switched on and, after the balls have been turned, seven are tipped out. The first six are the winning numbers, the seventh is the bonus ball. Anyone who has chosen the six winning numbers wins or shares the jackpot (= the main prize), often worth several million pounds. People with three, four or five matching numbers, or five plus the bonus ball, can also win prizes. If nobody wins the jackpot there is a rollover to the next draw. Many people also buy scratch cards, cards which show, when the surface is scratched off, if the buyer has won a prize. Some of the money raised by the lottery is shared out among a variety of good causes such as the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Arts Council and UK Sport. The lottery is not popular with everyone, and many charities complain that they have received less money from the public since the lottery began.The US does not have a national lottery but there are lotteries in most states. You must be 18 to buy a ticket. US lotteries date back to 1776 when the Continental Congress gave its approval for lottery tickets to be sold to raise money for the American Revolution. America's strong religious groups have always been against long-running lotteries, and lottery games did not become official until the 1970s.Extra ExamplesTopics Moneyb2A couple scooped £10 million on the national lottery. 一对夫妇购买国家发行的彩票中了 1,000 万英镑。 I won my car in a lottery 这辆车是我买彩票中奖得到的。 These programs use state lotteries to fund the student awards. 这些项目利用州彩票抽奖来为学生奖项提供资金。 We're having a lottery to raise money for homeless families. 我们要举行彩票抽奖为无家可归的人筹款。 a $3 million lottery jackpot 300 万美元的彩票头奖
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- national
- state
- have
- hold
- run
- …
- fund something
- raise something
- ticket
- winner
- jackpot
- …
- in a/the lottery
- on the lottery
- [singular] (often disapproving)
a situation whose success or result is based on luck rather than on effort or careful organization 碰运气的事 Some people think that marriage is a lottery. 有些人认为婚姻靠的是运气。 Politicians have acknowledged that it is a bit of a lottery who gets funding. 政坛人士承认，谁能得到资金多少得靠运气。
Word Originmid 16th cent.: probably from Dutch loterij, from lot ‘lot’.