China lottery sales rise 50% in first 5 months of 2023
China’s lottery sales reached RMB225.2bn (US$31.5bn) between January and May 2023.
China.- China’s lottery sales reached RMB225.2bn (US$31.5bn) in the first five months of 2023, reflecting a 50 per cent year-on-year increase. The data from the Ministry of Finance shows a rise in both welfare and sports lottery sales.
The welfare lottery registered sales of RMB 71.8bn (US$10bn), a year-on-year increase of 16.2 per cent. Sports lottery sales reached RMB153.4bn (US$21.5bn), up 73.7 per cent.
In May, lottery sales were up 62 per cent year-on-year to RMB50.2bn (US$7bn). However, the figure was down slightly when compared to April’s record-breaking sales of RMB50.3bn (US$7.03bn).
Economists attributed the rise in sales to multiple factors, including a low sales base in the previous year, the draw of sports events and economic uncertainty in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. For full-year 2022, lottery sales rose by 13.8 per cent to CNY424.65bn (US$62.82bn).
