Feeling Lucky? Get in on the China State Lottery, 1935

Lotteries go back a long way in history – they were one way for the state to raise money to construct the Great Wall apparently! The China State Lottery was a bit later – between the wars but the republican government  still used them to build out the airports and highways system. Indeed the Commies today use lotteries to fund some social welfare and offset the costs of nonsense like the Olympics and the EXPO. This ad from 1935 so you can see the big money prizes. Even then it seems people were concerned about where exactly the money went – KMT pockets then, CCP pockets now! That banks sold lottery tickets is quite handy.