lottery fever

lottery fever

A popular term for individual or mass reactions to state, national and international (e.g., Euromillions) lotteries, especially high-reward jackpots. Lottery fever encompasses the emotional responses and behavioural changes of such reactions, ranging from the simple purchasing of a ticket, with or without expecting to win, to buying exorbitant amounts of tickets, to mortgaging one’s house and liquidating one’s assets on the assumption of winning.