Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Lottery \Lot"ter*y\, n.; pl. {Lotteries}. [Lot + -ery, as in
   brewery, bindery.]
   1. A scheme for the distribution of prizes by lot or chance;
      esp., a gaming scheme in which one or more tickets bearing
      particular numbers draw prizes, and the rest of tickets
      are blanks. Fig. : An affair of chance.

   Note: The laws of the United States and of most of the States
         make lotteries illegal.

Source : WordNet®

lottery
     n 1: something that is regarded as a chance event; "the election
          was just a lottery to them"
     2: players buy (or are given) chances and prizes are
        distributed according to the drawing of lots [syn: {drawing}]