A lottery is a game in which numbers are drawn at random and people who have the lucky numbers win prizes. It is an example of a fair game because everyone has an equal chance to win. There are many types of lotteries, including those used for military conscription, commercial promotions in which property is given away and the selection of members of a jury. In contrast, gambling lotteries require the payment of a consideration, such as money, to participate.
The story The Lottery by Shirley Jackson takes place in a small American village with very traditional customs and values. The villagers gather in the town square to participate in a ritual called the Lottery, where they will find out who is going to get their next house. They are all seated around tables and a man begins to distribute slips of paper, one to each family. These are blank except for one marked with a black dot. The participants are told not to reveal their names or to discuss the numbers with others.
After the drawing, a person who has the winning number is announced and the winner receives the prize. In addition, the other tickets are returned for redistribution to the public. Lotteries are common in the United States and were originally introduced by the Continental Congress in 1776 to raise funds for the Revolution. They were also popular in Europe, and in fact were one of the major sources of income for religious congregations in the 1800s, helping to build or rebuild churches and cathedrals.
