“The Lottery with its weekly payout of enormous prizes, was the one public event to which the proles paid serious attention. It was probable that were some million of proles for whom the Lottery was the principal if not the only reason for remaining alive. It was their delight, their folly, their anodyne, their intellectual stimulant. Where the Lottery was concerned even people who could barely read and write seemed capable of intricate calculation and staggering feats of memory. There was a whole tribe of men who made a living simply by selling systems, forecasts and lucky amulets. Winston had nothing to do with the running of the Lottery, which was managed by the Ministry of Plenty, but he was aware (indeed everyone in the Party was aware) that the prizes were largely imaginary. Only small sums were actually paid out, the winners of the big prizes being non-existent persons.”
George Orwell, “1984”, 1949.
A Bird's Eye View of Fashion, Food, Travel, Culture, Beverage and Curiosity 