A lottery is an arrangement for allocating prizes to individuals based on a process that depends entirely on chance. Most commonly, this is a game in which participants pay an entry fee for the opportunity to win a prize, such as money, goods, or services. There are many types of lotteries, ranging from those that award units in a subsidized housing block to kindergarten placements at a public school. There are also lotteries in sports and, of course, the financial lotteries involving state-sponsored games where people pay to participate in an attempt to win large cash prizes.
Once a lottery has been established, it is difficult to abolish. It has broad popular support, as evidenced by the fact that in states with lotteries, about 60% of adults report playing at least once a year. Lottery operations are also very profitable. Revenues generally expand quickly, then level off and sometimes decline (although the introduction of new games helps to maintain or increase revenues).
The reason for this is that lotteries promote gambling with a clear message: the lottery is fun. As a result, the majority of players do not consider themselves compulsive gamblers or invest a significant part of their incomes in lottery tickets. But a few players do not take the lottery lightly, and this can have serious consequences, especially for lower-income groups.
In this story, Jackson uses subtle imagery to portray the lottery as a commonplace activity in small towns. In the same way that citizens are accustomed to square dances, teen clubs, and Halloween, the lottery is seen as just another normal activity of everyday life.