Usage Note
Loterie is the general word for any lottery or raffle. La Loterie Nationale is France's historic national lottery, now replaced by la Française des Jeux (FDJ). The figurative expression c'est une loterie means it's a matter of pure luck or a lottery, used about unpredictable outcomes.
Examples
"Elle a gagné à la loterie la semaine dernière."
Natural Translation
She won the lottery last week.

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