China’s Lottery Sales: A Mixed Picture of Growth and Decline

Despite a remarkable year-on-year surge of 59.3%, bringing sales to 47.34 billion yuan (about $6.65 billion), this figure was the lowest in eight months. This decline represents a 10.3% drop from September’s 52.77 billion yuan ($7.4 billion), marking the lowest monthly total since February.

Breakdown of Sales and Growth Areas

The Ministry of Finance’s data revealed diverse growth areas in the lottery sector. Sales supporting the welfare system rose by 40.9% to 15.49 billion yuan ($2.17 billion), while those contributing to the sports industry increased by a substantial 70.1%, reaching over 31.85 billion yuan ($4.46 billion). Overall, the total lottery sales for the first ten months of 2023 amounted to 475.88 billion yuan ($66.62 billion), reflecting a significant year-on-year growth of 53%.

Popular Lottery Choices

Betting games remained the most popular choice among players, accounting for 18.98 billion yuan ($2.65 billion) in sales, an increase of 67.4%. Digital lottery sales also rose by 15.0%, reaching 13.70 billion yuan ($1.92 billion). The instant lottery market showed the highest growth, with a year-on-year sales increase of 167.6%, amounting to 11.44 billion yuan ($1.6 billion). Keno games sales increased by 47.1%, and video lottery sales climbed by 8%.

Our Comment on the Article

The dynamics of China’s lottery market underscore the complexity of the gaming industry, where significant growth in certain areas coexists with overall declines in others. This scenario highlights the evolving preferences of lottery players in China and the need for the industry to adapt continually. The substantial year-on-year growth, despite the monthly decline, indicates a resilient market with the potential for continued expansion, particularly in digital and instant lottery segments​​.