Lottery is a game of chance. It is a popular way to make money and it is exciting to see if you will be the one to win the big prize. Many people use the winnings from their lottery ticket to help out their friends and family. Lottery is also a great form of entertainment and a good way to relieve stress.

The history of lottery can be traced back hundreds of years. In the Old Testament, the Lord instructed Moses to take a census of Israel and divide the land among its inhabitants by lot. In ancient Rome, Nero and other emperors used lotteries as a way to give away property and slaves. Lotteries were brought to the United States by British colonists, with mixed reactions.

In the immediate post-World War II period, some states began to run state lotteries. Advocates of the new system argued that if people were going to gamble anyway, governments might as well take some of their profits. They dismissed long-standing ethical objections, such as that gambling promotes vice and makes a poor man’s life worse.

The story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson exemplifies the hypocrisy of these new advocates. In the story, the head of household draws a slip of paper from a box for each member of his or her family. The head of household is surprised to find that the slip she has drawn is marked with a black spot. As she screams in frustration, the townspeople begin to throw stones at her.