from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Lotto \Lot"to\ (l[o^]t"t[-o]), n. [F. loto or It. lotto, prop.,
a lot; of German origin. See {Lot}.]
A game of chance, played with cards or tickets, on which are
inscribed numbers, and any contrivance (as a wheel containing
numbered balls) for determining a set of numbers by chance.
The player holding a card having on it the set of numbers
drawn from the wheel takes the stakes after a certain
percentage of them has been deducted for the dealer. In some
systems, lesser prizes are awarded for having some but not
all of the numbers selected, such as four or five numbers in
a six-number drawing. A variety of lotto is called {keno}. In
another variety, the player chooses the numbers for the card
or ticket s/he holds. There may be from three to seven
different numbers on a card or ticket. In a modern
computerized lotto system conducted by state authorities, the
player chooses numbers, or allows the computer to choose
numbers at random, which are then printed on a ticket that
the player holds until the winning number is selected. [Often
written {loto}.]
[1913 Webster +PJC]