When you purchase a lottery ticket, you’re paying for the chance to win a prize. When you win, you receive some of the money that was spent on your ticket and the state or city government gets the rest.

The odds of winning the jackpot are extremely small. But that doesn’t mean you should avoid playing the lottery.

Many people view purchasing a lottery ticket as a low-risk investment, and the risk-to-reward ratio is certainly appealing. But, consider that when you play the lottery, you’re contributing billions of dollars to the federal and state governments that could be going into savings accounts or retirement savings programs instead.

If you do decide to buy a ticket, you’ll want to make sure to read all the terms and conditions of your particular lotto game. You’ll also need to consider how much money you’re actually spending on each ticket and the taxes that are deducted.

One way to reduce the amount of your prize that you’re taxed is to choose the lottery’s annuity option. This allows you to receive a first payment when you win, followed by annual payments that increase over time.

Another option is to choose a lump-sum payout. This is what you’d receive if you won the advertised jackpot but did not choose to play the annuity option. You’d still be a millionaire, but you’d receive less in the end because of variable taxes and inflation expectations. For these reasons, choosing the annuity option is often the better choice.