China's November lottery sales rise 11.8 percent

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China’s lottery market generated a sales revenue of 38.56 billion yuan (5.82 billion US dollars) in November, an increase of 11.8 percent year-on-year, according to data from China’s Ministry of Finance.

There are two state-run lotteries in China, the China Welfare Lottery and the China Sports Lottery. Earnings from the lotteries are funneled back into social welfare and sporting projects.

Spurred by rising disposable income and an appetite for gambling on more sophisticated games, China’s lottery market has boomed, with customers splurging billions of dollars per year.

The November lottery sales were 19.4 billion yuan on the welfare lottery and 19.15 billion yuan on the sports lottery. Sports lottery sales in November jumped 15.2 percent year-on-year, while welfare lottery sales increased by 8.6 percent, the ministry said.

According to the ministry, lottery sales in Jiangsu province, Anhui province, Guangdong province, Hainan province, and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, saw spiraling growth in November.

In general, sales were up in 27 of the 31 provinces and cities of China that are authorized to sell lottery tickets.

In the first 11 months, lottery sales amounted to 386.99 billion yuan, up 8.1 percent year-on-year. Welfare lottery sales increased by 5.3 percent year-on-year to reach about 196.33 billion yuan, while sales of sports lottery products rose by 11.1 percent to 190.66 billion yuan.