Throughout much of Asia there is a belief – consciously held or otherwise – in karma. It’s a notion that the thoughts, words and deeds of one person can affect the experiences of those around them, often in a positive way. For this reason, a number of people in Asia play lottery games as a way to give their good karma a chance to show up in the form of financial windfalls.

In China, last year the country’s Welfare and Sports Lottery raked in 511 billion yuan in ticket sales, nearly as much as America’s state lotteries earned collectively. And since Mr Xi took office in 2013, the number of people buying tickets has almost doubled.

A recent surge in ticket sales coincides with months of soft economic data, with the country’s youth unemployment rate rising to record highs. Some social media commentators have linked the surge to young people’s deepening fears about their job security and income prospects.

Anyone who receives an unsolicited email claiming that they have won a lottery they didn’t enter is likely to be a victim of a scam. Legitimate lotteries will never request money or personal information in order to claim a prize so if you receive such a communication please delete it and report the scam to your local authorities, online fraud agencies such as the Internet Crime Complaint Centre and Scamwatch, and your bank and credit card company. You should also seek emotional support from family and friends and a counselor if you’ve lost a significant amount of money to the scammer.