The lottery is a game of chance in which players pay an entry fee for the chance to win a prize, such as cash or goods. It has been used for many purposes, including raising funds for towns, wars, colleges, and public-works projects. Lotteries have become especially popular in the United States, where they are a major source of revenue for state and local governments and are the second largest source of income for many households. People of all ages and backgrounds participate in the lottery, although high-school educated men are the most likely to play regularly. In the United States, the lottery has been a popular form of gambling since its introduction in the late 1960s.

The first requirement of a lottery is that there must be some means for recording the identities of the bettors and the amounts staked, as well as the numbers or symbols chosen by each bettor. This may take the form of a ticket that is deposited with the lottery organization for subsequent shuffling and selection in a drawing, or a receipt that contains the bettor’s name and the number(s) or symbol(s) staked. In many cases, computer systems are used for this purpose.

Several elements are present in The Lottery that distinguish it as a horror story. For one, the setting and the characters’ actions are typical of a horror plot. Another element is that the lottery is a form of ritualized cruelty. This is evident in the way the villagers behave with each other, and also in the fact that Mrs. Hutchinson, who initially intends to protest and rebel against the lottery, ends up becoming a victim of it the day she was planning to do so.

Another way in which Jackson depicts cruelty is by describing the actions of Old Man Warner, who is a conservative force in the village. He explains that the lottery was originally meant to be an agricultural event, as there is a saying that “Lottery in June, corn will be heavy soon.” It is for this reason that so many of the villagers participate in the lottery, even though they know that the main prize is death.

Another important aspect of the lottery is that it is an example of people’s hypocrisy and evil-nature. This is reflected in the manner in which the villagers treat each other, as seen in the opening paragraph: “They greeted each other and exchanged bits of gossip, manhandling each other without a flinch of pity.” Jackson’s use of such description is an effective way to convey that people are essentially bad and deceiving, even in seemingly small and peaceful places.