The Bookshop and Lottery Agency of Jan de Groot in the Kalverstraat in Amsterdam by Isaac Ouwater (1748-1793) oil on canvas, 1779. A group of men push and shove to enter the door of the lottery agency - to the astonishment of passers-by and the general amusement of the hotel guests on either side . The scene is the start of the lottery ticket sales organized by the States General on 25th October 1779. This was the immediate forerunner of the National Lottery, which still exists, as does the house seen here. Photo via Newscom