Well, not always negative. Matthias was chosen by lot as the twelfth apostle. Both men were within the 'inner circle' of disciples, and Joseph Justus remained so afterward. One can claim, of course, that God decided the result. Or maybe the eleven just couldn't decide between two such worthy candidates.

I have no objection to state lotteries if they are thought of as a voluntary tax. You contribute voluntarily to excellent state programs, usually for education or the elderly, and as a reward you're given a chance to receive a little (or a lot of) extra cash. When I lived in Pennsylvania I bought lottery tickets from time to time and won $1000 twice. That was nice, and the individual contributions for tickets never hurt my pocketbook or burdened me or my family.