This is American hysteria's Aftershock, where I share with you a story that didn't make it into the main episode.

I'm your host, Chelsea Weber Smith.

And today, we're talking about the curse of the lottery.

You know, my wife had said she'd wish that she'd torn the ticket up.

Well, I wish that we had torn to tick it up too.

The windfalls of treasure that we dream about discovering

and the rituals we may employ to call those riches to us

have a dark side to their brand of magic.

For, doesn't every treasure one also come with a curse?

In the case of the lottery, many of us have heard this legend

that almost anyone who ends up winning a vast fortune

through the chance of choosing the right numbers

ends up in the opposite position, often far worse off than they were before.

Bankruptcy, drug addiction, divorce, murder, and death.

All of these things have befallen individuals who've hit that dreamy jackpot.

For this episode, we'll look at some examples that have helped construct the idea that the lottery has a touch of evil

and that unseen forces may punish those who open themselves up to the so-called curse of the lottery, a modern monkey's paw folk tale

that tells us, be careful what you wish for, you may never know the true cost of messing with

fate.

Let's start with the most famous fantasy-turned horror story,

a 55-year-old man named Jack Whitaker,

who won the $314 million jackpot in 2002

...