Chinese lottery sales hit US$724.6m in August

China’s lottery sales were up by 53.6 per cent year-on-year.

China.- The Ministry of Finance of China has reported that lottery sales rose by 53.6 per cent year-on-year in August, reaching CNY52.95bn (US$724.6m). The boost is attributed to the introduction of new instant lottery tickets and an uptick in major events.

Lottery sales were up 10.1 per cent compared to July (CNY48.91bn). Sports lottery sales accounted for CNY34.31bn, up 57.4 per cent year-on-year. The remaining portion of sales, amounting to CNY18.64bn, came from China’s welfare lottery, up 47.1 per cent.

Instant lottery sales witnessed growth of 150.7 per cent year-on-year, amounting to CNY12.03bn. Lotto digital sales increased by 14.8 per cent to CNY15.30bn, while betting sales rose 61.2 per cent to CNY22.15bn. Keno lottery sales rose by 32.8 per cent to CNY34.62b and video lottery ticket sales contributed CNY180,000, up 16 per cent.

The Ministry of Finance observed an increase across all regions in August. Guangdong province was the top contributor with sales of CNY5.61bn, followed by Zhejiang at CNY4.21bn and Jiangsu at CNY4.13bn. Cumulative sales over the first eight months of 2023 reached CNY375.76bn, up 51.9 per cent year-on-year. For full-year 2022, lottery sales rose by 13.8 per cent to CNY424.65bn (US$62.82bn).