What would you do if you won ¥400 million? Would you buy a convertible, a new house, start a business? All of the above?

The dream of winning big is the lottery's lure, and as the economy turns bleaker, inflation kicks in, the pension system turns cloudy and the future looks uncertain, the lottery becomes all the more attractive.

The lottery under its current form has been popular for decades, but such gambling actually goes back centuries. Today's Summer Jumbo and Yearend Jumbo seasons are habitual crowd draws.