A lottery is an arrangement in which one or more prizes are allocated by chance.
The word is derived from Latin loterie, meaning a drawing of lots; see also lottery (disambiguation). A modern lottery involves buying a ticket to win a prize, often a cash sum. A number or symbols are printed on the ticket, which is then drawn by a machine or a random selection mechanism such as a spinner. Prizes may be offered for a particular category of tickets or all tickets purchased. The winnings may be paid in a lump sum or over a period of time.
In 1948, Shirley Jackson wrote a short story called The Lottery. It demonstrates how cruel people can be and that they are likely to blindly follow outdated traditions without any remorse. The Lottery is also a cautionary tale about the dangers of playing games that are based on irrational beliefs and customs that have no basis in reality.
The financial lottery is a big business. Americans spend $80 billion per year on the lottery. Billboards tout the chances of winning huge amounts. Winnings must be paid in taxes and those who do win end up going bankrupt within a couple of years. Lottery commissions try to obscure the regressivity of this gamble by relying on two messages. One is that playing the lottery is fun, and the other is that it is a civic duty to do so. Both of these messages are flawed in various ways.
