What is the Lottery?

In a small town in June, the locals gather for an annual lottery, an event that’s supposed to ensure that the coming harvest will be heavy. As the people fill out their tickets, Old Man Warner quotes an old proverb: “Lottery in June; corn be heavy soon.” But this year, the town seems to have lost its luck.

Lottery is a short story by the American writer Shirley Jackson first published in 1947. It has been widely anthologized and is a staple of high school English literature classes. It is a classic in the canon of horror fiction and has become one of the most widely read stories in the world.

A lottery is a form of gambling in which tokens are distributed or sold, and the winning token or tokens are chosen in a random drawing. The prizes may be money or goods, or services. In some countries, a lottery is regulated by government law. In others, it is an informal private game.

Despite their long odds of winning, many people enjoy playing the lottery. Some have quote-unquote systems that don’t jibe with statistics, like buying tickets at certain stores or at certain times of day. But these are not the sort of people that most experts would call problem gamblers.

There is also the argument that because people are going to gamble anyway, states should enact lotteries to raise money for important public purposes. But this view ignores the fact that state-sponsored lotteries promote gambling and create new generations of problem gamblers.