policy, form of lottery in which pellets usually numbered 1 to 78 are deposited in a drum-shaped wheel and players wager that certain numbers will appear among the pellets—usually 12 pellets—that are selected at the drawing.
Policy, a true lottery initiated in the United States by Italian-Americans, derives its name from the Italian polizza (“receipt,” or “ticket”) and retains only occasional and local popularity. It has been substantially replaced by the numbers game (q.v.).