Sales of tickets for China’s official lottery system increased by 10.4 percent year-on-year in July, said the country’s Ministry of Finance, in a Tuesday statement on its website. In prior months, year-on-year contraction had been seen in such sales.
July sales were nearly CNY36.15 billion (US$5.28 billion), an increase of almost CNY3.42 billion, said the ministry.
Welfare lottery sales in July were up by CNY390 million, or 2.6 percent, at just under CNY15.44 billion. Sports lottery ticket sales increased by nearly CNY3.03 billion, or 17.1 percent, to just over CNY20.71 billion.
From January to July, the total sales of lottery tickets nationwide totalled CNY160.05 billion, a year-on-year decrease of CNY85.28 billion, or 34.8 percent.
Welfare lottery agency sales for the first seven months of 2020 were slightly over CNY74.72 billion, which was down almost CNY38.08 billion, or 33.8 percent, year-on-year.
Sports lottery agency sales for the calendar year to July 31 were nearly CNY85.33 billion, a contraction of CNY47.20 billion, or 35.6 percent.
In July, compared with the same period last year, lottery sales increased in 28 of the 31 provinces and cities of mainland China authorised to sell lottery tickets. Those in Guangdong, Jiangsu and Shaanxi increased the most, by respectively CNY481 million, CNY465 million, and CNY226 million.
Mainland China’s total sales from lottery products decreased by 17.5 percent year-on-year to approximately CNY422.05 billion in full-year 2019, according to official data.
