MY TICKET, MY "SELF": LOTTERY TICKET NUMBER SELECTION AND THE COMMODIFICATION AND EXTENSION OF THE SELF

Abstract

Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia hold state lotteries, which generate over $36 billion annually. Although the basic social act of lottery participation has changed little historically, elements of contemporary lotteries have fundamentally changed the nature of the lottery experience. In this paper I focus on one of these fundamental changes−the production of the individual lottery ticket. Many lottery participants select their lottery ticket numbers. Why do players choose their numbers? One explanation is that such behavior represents the player's individual belief that he or she is able to harness metaphysical forces on his or her behalf. Utilizing the Symbolic Interactionist perspective, I argue that lottery ticket numbers selected by participants often commodify and extend the self. In addition, participants appear to utilize the production of lottery tickets to situate themselves within the embedded context of their primary group or reference group. When this occurs, discussion about lottery play is included in the group's routines of action. In many cases, the player's lottery ticket numbers represent important personal and social events, or status changes (such as wedding dates) that affirm the affective bonds among the members of the group. In addition, the production of personalized lottery tickets often leads to the creation of cultural material that is meaningful, and perhaps truly understandable, only to the members of the group.