Chinas lottery revenue experienced a decrease of 4.6 percent in November compared to the same period in the previous year, according to a report issued by the Ministry of Finance. The primary factor contributing to this decline was the near-zero sales of video lottery tickets during the month.
The overall revenue in November decreased from 37.77 billion yuan to 36.04 billion yuan (approximately 4.08 billion pounds/4.54 billion euros/5.58 billion dollars). Of this total, sales of sports lottery tickets reached 21.02 billion yuan, showing a decrease of 0.2%, while sales of welfare lottery tickets amounted to 15.02 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year decline of 10.1%.
In the realm of sports lottery, digital lottery sales experienced an increase of 10.3% to 9.8 billion yuan, making it the most sought-after product among participants, while sales of sports betting games declined by 11.4% to 9.6 billion yuan.
Concurrently, instant lottery sales witnessed an increase of 21.3% to 1.6 billion yuan, while video lottery sales plummeted by 80.0% to a mere 16 million yuan.
In terms of welfare lottery, video lottery sales completely vanished in November, leading to a decline in total sales for the month despite the increase in sales through its core digital lottery channel, which reached 13.1 billion yuan.
Simultaneously, instant lottery sales amounted to 1.57 billion yuan, representing an increase of 1.2%, with Keno lottery sales demonstrating the most rapid growth, as customer spending reached 3.4 million yuan, surpassing the 154,400 yuan recorded during the same period in the previous year.
Lottery revenue in 14 provinces experienced year-on-year growth in November, with Guangdong, Xinjiang, and Guizhou witnessing the most significant increases.
Chinas lottery revenue has hit 297.44 billion yuan, a decrease of 22.0% compared to 2019, based on November’s figures.
Sales of welfare lotteries have decreased by 25.1% to 129.22 billion yuan, while sports lottery sales have dropped by 19.4% to 168.22 billion yuan.
The Chinese government declared in October 2020 that it would cease selling high-frequency lottery tickets, also known as instant-win lottery tickets, which will have a significant effect on the country’s lottery industry.
Starting November 1st of last year, provincial lottery tickets were limited to high-frequency lotteries, and the final high-frequency lottery will be removed after the Spring Festival holiday in February.
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