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The lottery is a form of gambling in which people wager money for the chance to win a prize. The prize may be a cash sum, goods, or services. The lottery is a popular form of fundraising for public projects, such as schools, roads, and hospitals. It is also used to raise money for political campaigns. Although many people criticize the lottery as a form of gambling, others find it fun and entertaining. According to a poll conducted in 1999 by the Gallup Organization, 75% of adults and 82% of teenagers supported state lotteries.

The basic elements of a lottery are a pool of tickets and the procedure for selecting winners. Each bettor writes his or her name on a ticket that is deposited for later shuffling and selection in the drawing. A computer is frequently used for this purpose because it can record a large number of tickets and generate random numbers.

According to the National Association of State Lottery Directors (NASPL), nearly 186,000 retailers sold tickets in 2003. The vast majority of these retailers were convenience stores. Other outlets include nonprofit organizations (such as churches and fraternal organizations), service stations, restaurants and bars, and newsstands. Seventeen percent of respondents in a South Carolina survey said they played the lottery more than once a week (“frequent players”) and 13% of those who had played the lottery reported playing one to three times a month (“regular players”).

Despite the fact that lottery sales increased nationally in 2003, some states had declining sales compared to 2002. New York, Massachusetts, and Texas had the highest sales. The declines in these states were attributed to an economy-wide recession and to a decrease in the number of people who play the lottery.

Another issue associated with the lottery is the prevalence of entrapment. Some people select the same numbers each time, believing that their chances of winning increase with each use. Moreover, some people continue to buy tickets even when their previous numbers do not come up. This behavior is often referred to as “the gambler’s fallacy.”

In the story, Shirley Jackson exposes the hypocrisy and evil nature of humankind. She portrays the villagers in a way that shows they do not care about the effect of the lottery on their lives. She explains, “they greeted each other and exchanged bits of gossip and manhandled each other without a flinch of pity.”

The setting of the story further reveals the theme. The town is small and looks peaceful, but the events that take place in it reveal its true character. The setting of the story also demonstrates how characterization methods are used in the short story. The actions and general behavior of the villagers show that they are weak and corrupt. Their iniquity is shown through the lottery and how they treat each other. Consequently, the theme of the story is that people do not stand up for what they believe is right, even when they are in a minority.