Lottery, in the sense of a game of chance that depends on fate rather than skill, was popular in the Low Countries in the 15th century for raising money to build town fortifications and help the poor. A similar lottery was used by colonial America to fund public works, including roads, canals, libraries and colleges.

Jackson’s story depicts an annual rite in an unnamed village that involves drawing lots to determine who will be responsible for the harvest. In this case, the winnings are a small cash sum. Jackson suggests that the women of this small community are rebelling against their religious hierarchy, and Tessie Hutchinson’s name is an allusion to Anne Hutchinson, a Puritan woman whose Antinomian beliefs led to her excommunication and banishment from Massachusetts in 1638.

While there is no proven system for winning the lottery, some people try to increase their chances by buying multiple tickets or choosing certain numbers based on family birthdays. Others form a syndicate in which they share the cost of buying lots of tickets. While this doesn’t necessarily improve your odds, it can be fun and sociable, as well as saving you some cash.

If you win the lottery, you can choose to receive a lump sum or annuity payments. A lump sum provides a smaller, immediate payout; an annuity provides steady and guaranteed income over time. There are several entities that can buy your lottery annuity, including factoring companies and insurance companies. The amount that you will receive will depend on the discount rate that the buyer sets, which is what they subtract from the present value of your annuity to make a profit and cover their costs.