Mainland China’s total October sales from official lottery products increased by 12.2 percent year-on-year to approximately CNY42.23 billion (US$6.08 billion), according to official data from the country’s Ministry of Finance. The monthly figures show that the growth recorded last month was again supported by an increase in sales of sports lottery tickets.
Sports lottery sales in October jumped 20.5 percent year-on-year to CNY23.31 billion, while welfare lottery sales increased by 3.3 percent to CNY18.92 billion, the ministry said.
Combined sales for the two lottery systems during the first 10 months of this year amounted to CNY425.73 billion, a year-on-year increase of 22.2 percent. Welfare lottery sales increased by 4.1 percent year-on-year to reach about CNY184.24 billion, while sales of sports lottery products rose by 40.8 percent to nearly CNY241.50 billion.
Sports lottery sales this year have been fuelled by the FIFA World Cup, according to the Ministry of Finance. The tournament took place between June 14 and July 15.
The authorities in mainland China in August updated the regulations concerning the country’s official lottery. Such update – effective from October 1 onward – aims to reduce red tape for the authorisation of offline sales of lottery products, several experts conducting research into the industry told GGRAsia.
But uncertainties remain as to whether the Chinese authorities will lift a suspension – in place since 2015 – regarding online sales of official lottery products.
