China lottery sales up 53.6% in August

China’s Ministry of Finance said growth across the board was due to the launch of new instant lottery tickets and an increase in major events.

This was also 10.1% higher compared to July, when sales totalled CNY48.09bn.

Sports lottery sales were CNY34.31bn in August, growing 57.4% yearly. The remaining sales came from China’s welfare lottery, which contributed CNY18.64bn, up by 47.1%.

Between January and August, total lottery sales added up to CNY375.76bn, up 51.6% compared to the same period in 2022.

Sales by type

Instant lottery sales increased sharply, by 150.7% to CNY12.03bn.

Sales were also up for Lotto digital and betting. Lotto digital generated sales of CNY15.30bn, increasing by 14.8%, while betting generated CNY22.15bn – up 61.2%. Meanwhile keno lottery sales also ticked up, improving by 32.8% to CNY34.62bn.

Video lottery ticket sales accounted for CNY180,000 of the total, marking a 16.0% yearly increase.

The ministry noted that lottery sales increased in all regions throughout August, compared to August 2022.

The Guangdong province generated the highest sales during the month, with CNY5.61bn. This was followed by the Zhejiang region with CNY4.21bn and the Jiangsu region with CNY4.13bn.