lottery

Type of gambling in which winners are chosen by drawing of lots, from among those who have paid money to participate. Promotional schemes requiring a consideration (a purchase) to take part, and offering prizes only on the basis of random chance are considered a lottery and are generally illegal. In comparison, a sweepstake eliminates consideration and a contest eliminates chance.

"TANSTAAFL" is the term coined by Robert Heinlein in his 1966 book, "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress." Whenever anybody that you do not know offers you something free, that is most likely because they want something in return. Therefore, be wary of the email solicitations claiming that you are a winner of a random lottery or those emails where somebody is trying to give you money but needs your bank account number. After all, "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch."

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