Traditions surrounding lotteries and lottery drawings have existed for centuries. Lotteries themselves date back to ancient times, with the first records of public lotteries for money prizes appearing in the Chinese Han Dynasty between 205 and 187 B.C. Over the years, certain quotes, sayings, and traditions have become ingrained in lottery culture and rituals. Here are some of the most notable lottery quotes that relate to long-standing lottery traditions.
The Quote “You’ve Got to Be in It to Win It” Connects to Playing the Lottery
“You’ve got to be in it to win it” is a popular quote about lotteries and games of chance. The origins of the phrase are uncertain, but it expresses the basic requirement for winning a prize in a lottery: you must first play and purchase a ticket to have any chance at the jackpot. This pithy quote encapsulates the appeal and risk of lotteries – you must put up your bet first before fate or luck can intervene on your behalf. It promotes the act of playing as essential to the dream of hitting a jackpot. The saying drives home the active nature of participating in lotteries and theirContrastingly, simply dreaming or wishing for riches will not make them magically appear. You must manifest the opportunity for good fortune by taking the concrete step of actually buying a lottery ticket. After that, randomness and chance take over.
This traditional lottery motto has withstood the test of time due to how it manages expectations yet still promotes the excitement of playing. While buying a ticket does not guarantee riches, it opens up possibilities that plainly wishing alone cannot. Since lottery winners always share the trait of having purchased a ticket, potential players must follow their example and take that leap of faith. It captures the lottery ritual of proactively putting your own skin in the game in hopes that fortune will favor you this time.
Notable Examples of the Quote
The popular saying “you’ve got to be in it to win it” can be found in numerous places related to lottery culture:
- State lottery slogans – Several U.S. state lotteries have used this phrase in their official lottery taglines over the years, including New York, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Illinois.
- Lottery advertisements – Lottery ads aimed at getting new players frequently invoke this traditional saying to remind people to actually play in order to have a chance.
- Lottery literature and guides – Books and articles offering lottery tips and analysis often cite this phrase and the wisdom behind it.
- Speeches by lottery winners – Jackpot winners sometimes reference this quote when describing the steps they took that led to their windfall.
- Lottery ticket designs – Some lotteries print this catchphrase on the lottery tickets themselves as a reminder before the numbers are drawn.
So while the exact origin of the saying is murky, it emerged as a fundamental lottery motto through its widespread and enduring use over time. It encapsulates the simple yet vital action required to potentially realize a life-changing lottery dream.
Lottery Rituals Involve Lucky Numbers, Charms, Prayers, and Superstitions
Over hundreds of years of lottery play, certain rituals have developed around the act of playing the odds and hoping for wealth. These practices often invoke superstitions, lucky charms, significant numbers, and other symbols to influence, sway, or simply acknowledge the role of randomness and fate in determining the winning lottery numbers. Like the saying “you’ve got to be in it to win it,” these rituals acknowledge that people must first take action in order for good fortune to find them. While ultimately the lottery results are out of players’ control, these traditions allow participants to feel like they are engaging with the lottery on a more personal, meaningful level. Common lottery rituals include:
Lucky Numbers
Numerology – Using significant numbers like birthdays, ages, addresses, and other personally meaningful numbers when picking lottery numbers.
Repeating digits – Choosing lottery numbers with repeating digits like 111 or numbers that form patterns on the play card.
Quick picks – Letting the lottery terminal randomly select “lucky” numbers via a quick pick.
Same numbers – Maintaining loyalty to a set of numbers and playing them each time, game after game.
Good Luck Charms
- Rabbit’s foot
- Four leaf clover
- Horseshoe
- Green or jade jewelry
- Crystals like citrine or aventurine
- Gold coins
- Laughing Buddha statue
- Maneki neko “lucky cat” figurine
Players may carry or touch one of these charms while buying a lottery ticket or checking results to influence luck in their favor. Different cultures hold different objects to be lucky, but common motifs are things that are meant to attract money, success, or good fortune.
Prayers and Mantras
People may say certain prayers, chants, or mantras as part of their lottery ritual:
- Please let this be my time
- I am open and ready to receive wealth
- I am lucky, I am blessed
- Thank you for this winning fortune
These repeated phrases help people communicate their desires, gratitude, and receptiveness to the universe. Certain prayers may also acknowledge the role of divine intervention in delivering an unexpected windfall.
Superstitions
- Avoid mentioning jackpots or discussing winnings
- Always wear the same outfit or socks when purchasing tickets
- Use the restroom immediately before buying lottery tickets
- Carry winning tickets in your left pant/skirt pocket
- Have the same person check your tickets each time
- Kiss tickets before handing them over
Superstitious habits that players incorporate into the lottery routine help them feel like they have greater influence over the random drawing outcome. These good luck practices give part of the process back to the individual.
The History of Lotteries and Lottery Proverbs
Lotteries have long been connected to human dreams of instant riches, luck, and destiny. The earliest forms of lotteries date back thousands of years as a game of chance, often with funds directed to noble causes. Sources cite lottery-like games in Ancient China, Greece, Rome, and Egypt.
Early Public Lotteries
Some key events in early lottery history include:
- 100 BC – The Chinese Han Dynasty is thought to have created the first lottery slips to fund major government projects like the Great Wall.
- 1420 – France holds a lottery to raise funds for the village of L’Ecluse.
- 1466 – The widow of the Flemish painter Jan Van Eyck holds a raffle to dispose of his remaining paintings, creating the first art lottery.
- 1530 – Florence, Italy starts running an official lottery to benefit the state.
- 1539 – King Francis I of France allows lotteries to operate in Paris.
- 1567 – Queen Elizabeth I sanctions weekly lottery drawings in England to raise money for repairing harbors.
Rulers recognized early on that sponsoring public lotteries could generate funds for local projects while also providing entertainment. As lottery popularity grew, sayings and rituals developed around playing for the jackpot.
Lottery Quotes Through the Ages
Here are some insights on lotteries from famous figures and cultural sources over the centuries:
- “A lottery is a taxation upon all the fools in creation.” – 1797 quote attributed to Casanova
- “There is no gambling like politics.” – Benjamin Disraeli in 1837
- “Lottery: A tax on people who are bad at math.” – Ambrose Bierce in 1911
- “You can’t win unless you play.” – Billy Wilder in 1977
- “Winning the lottery isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.” – 1980s New York Lottery slogan
- “I know the odds are 14 gazillion to one, but it’s one out of 14 gazillion! You gotta play the odds!” – Homer Simpson in 1997
These quotes give a sense of both the allure and risks that have made lotteries an enduring tradition over centuries. The shared vision of life-changing winnings continues to inspire players.
Key Factors That Drive Lottery Traditions and Superstitions
Several underlying social and psychological factors help explain the appeal of rituals and superstitions in lottery culture.
Perceived Control
Lotteries represent pure chance, with no skill involved. Rituals help give players a sense of control, power, or participation in the random outcome. Picking special numbers or avoiding jinxes allows people to impose their own meaning on an inherently uncontrollable situation.
Magical Thinking
Superstitions operate on the principle of magical thinking – the belief that unrelated actions can causally affect each other through supernatural or extra-logical means. Wearing a lucky shirt or carrying a charm somehow influences the mystical forces thought to govern the lottery draw.
Mystery of Fate
Lotteries have an inexplicable, mysterious allure that speaks to the unknown forces of luck, fortune, and fate. Traditions acknowledge there are complex patterns at work that we cannot fully comprehend. Prayers and charms attempt to access this enigma.
Comfort With Familiarity
Repeating the same rituals provides psychological comfort with each lottery draw. The familiar actions increase confidence and allow players to impose order.
Morning Magic Effect
Studies show people tend to feel more optimistic early in the day. Lottery ticket sales spike around this time, suggesting players buy into the mythical power of morning magic.
Examples of Specific Lottery Traditions and Superstitions
Lottery traditions appear across different cultures and regions of the world. Here are some examples of rituals and superstitions from various lotteries.
Spain’s El Gordo
- Playing the same numbers from year to year
- Buying tickets bearing the same number every year
- Never washing the clothing worn when purchasing a ticket
- Rubbing tickets on a hunchback’s back for luck
Mexico’s Loteria Nacional
- Always using a specific lottery kiosk
- Allowing babies to choose numbers
- Burning incense or prayer candles before purchasing tickets
Philippines Lotto 6/42
- Praying to patron saints for victory
- Playing the birthdays of family members
- Asking fortune tellers to pick winning numbers
- Buying tickets from sellers with physical blessings
US Powerball
- Insisting on lucky Powerball number like 7
- Using hot and cold number selection
- Buying tickets only on certain days of the week
- Bringing good luck charms to ticket purchase
- Posing for photos with purchase to tempt fate
While rituals differ, common themes emerge like lucky numbers, fortunate symbols, and practices for good karma.
Notable Examples of Lottery Winners Following Traditions and Rituals
While no set of rituals can guarantee a jackpot, some winners do attribute part of their success to long-held traditions. Their lottery habits form a meaningful routine.
Richard Lustig
American Richard Lustig won an impressive seven lottery jackpots and wrote books on his lucky secrets. He espoused several principles of lottery rituals:
- Memorizing his list of favorite numbers based on birthdays and anniversaries
- Always buying from the same couple of stores
- Letting the lottery computer quick pick his Powerball number
- Taking his time and avoiding rushing when selecting numbers
- Visualizing his family enjoying the winnings before purchasing tickets
Pedro Quezada
When Pedro Quezada won a $338 million Powerball jackpot in 2013, he attributed part of his success to long-standing traditions:
- Playing the same set of numbers based on a dream for years
- Always buying his tickets at the same small New Jersey bodega
- Letting the store owner pick his Powerball numbers
- Rubbing his lottery tickets against his daughter’s forehead for luck
Gloria C. MacKenzie
Florida winner Gloria C. MacKenzie claimed a $590 million Powerball jackpot in 2013, one of the largest U.S. lottery wins. Some of her loyal lottery habits included:
- Playing her late husband’s five lucky numbers every week for years
- Always purchasing from the same grocery store near her home
- Allowing the clerk to randomly pick the Powerball number
- Quickly signing the back of tickets for good karma
For these and other big lottery winners, personal traditions brought a sense of meaning and consistency to the act of regularly playing the odds, ultimately leading to life-changing good fortune.
Conclusion
Lottery rituals, superstitions, and sayings have developed over centuries of lottery play across the world. Traditions like lucky numbers, prayers, charms, and mantras give players a sense of power and meaning in the midst of random chance. Famous quotes summarize the paradoxical appeal of lotteries – they represent dreams of instant wealth yet offer slim odds. Lottery habits also point to the mystifying human faith in supernatural forces, fate, and fortune. While no tradition can guarantee a win, rituals provide comfort through familiar actions that immerse players in the drama of the lottery dream.
