If you really consider it, there are actually an amazing range of life's situations that will be inherently risky. Nearly everything someone does is some type of gambling. Even with such mundane act of getting up and going to work, increases one's probability of being killed in a transportation accident. In face of today and everything you know about investing, be it in business, an asset class (stocks, bonds, real-estate, cash and commodities), toto or index fund, even in its most basic element, it is nothing but "betting" that someday tomorrow will probably be better with pleasant expected returns on investment; or perhaps not. There is only one big risk you should avoid and that's the risk of doing nothing and not taking your chance.

Come to look-at it in face value, investing in any money market really is, legalized gambling, per se. You can look at investing in terms of chart formation, or you put your hard earned money in the utilities anticipating once they are "due", you cash in or again maybe not; or you decide to have any one of the hundreds of analysts culling spreadsheets or fund index investors work on the fundamentals of investing for you in manufacturing, real-estate, cash and commodities-no matter what your reasoning for that, if that is not gambling, then what is? Basically, you are betting that in 5, 10 or 15 years from now there will be more individuals, buying more stuff, utilizing more energy, determined by more gadgets-with hope that one can cash in; or perhaps not. You are basically "betting" on all of it.

So it's, with the lottery-a form of gambling with origins in Florence, Italy, where the very first lottery was held in the 16th Century, then called the Lotto de Firenze, and quickly adopted by other Italian towns. It became a national lottery, and still known today as the Lotto in Italy, as also adopted and called in many other countries, including the USA. The lottery, as a form of government-licensed gambling, involves drawing of lots for a range of winnings and then for the massive jackpot prize. Gambling, like poker, blackjack, roulette, sports betting and racing, can involve skill or just chance alone; however the lottery isn't going to require any special skills-set to play.

As with any risk, there is always something at stake. Even when you opt to take the risk of starting a business, you stand to lose money, time as well as your reputation. The same things you stand to gain when you take the chance to start your own business. The lots you buy to play the lottery are today in the type of tickets and the prize is often a big sum of cash. The draws are random and every player has an equal chance of winning the main prize which often grows really big with massive roll over jackpots.