My ticket, my "self": Lottery ticket number selection and the commodification and extension of the self

Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia hold state lotteries, whic h generate over $36 billion annually. Although the basic social act of lott ery 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 o f the individual lottery ticket. Many lottery participants select their lot tery ticket numbers. Why do players choose their numbers? One explanation i s that such behavior represents the player's individual belief that he or s he is able to harness metaphysical forces on his or her behalf. Utilizing t he Symbolic Interactionist perspective, I argue that lottery ticket numbers selected by participants often commodity and extend the self. In addition, participants appear to utilize the production of lottery tickets to situat e themselves within the embedded context of their primary group or referenc e 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 num bers represent important personal and social events, or status changes (suc h as wedding dates) that affirm the affective bonds among the members of th e 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.