China Sports Lottery Still Cruising on World Cup Wagering Craze

The FIFA World Cup held in Russia this year was one of the biggest sports events, and one of the most wagered tournament worldwide. And in some cases, sports betting increases since these events can bring in new players. In fact, to be an online bookie would be a highly profitable job, if you were able to get in before the World Cup.

And the betting craziness is felt across the world. In China alone, the betting craziness can still be felt through the sports lottery. For November alone, their overall sales for the lottery in Mainland China was at around $6.14 billion, which is 10.8% higher than last year. This data comes from the government’s Ministry of Finance. According to their data, the total sales for the lottery is up by 21% on a year on year measure, covering January to November. The lottery sold $68.22 worth of products.

China Sports Lottery Numbers

November’s numbers were actually a bit lower than October’s which was $6.2 billion. Sports lottery still increases the overall numbers for lottery. The year on year numbers are up by 20.2% at $3.35 billion. As for the year-to-date numbers, sales for sports lottery have increased by 38.7% to $38.52 billion.

Of course, the numbers on sports lottery has decreased since the end of the FIFA World Cup, but is still high enough to surpass the previous top lottery- the welfare lottery. Sales for lottery tickets have also increased in 24 out of 31 locations in mainland China. The biggest single-province market for lotteries is Guangdong at $6.49 billion for January to November of 2018.

These numbers are growing despite the moratorium on online sales of lottery. This is due to the online lottery scam that was discovered and taken down last year. The government has recently sentenced the organizers of this scam as well as the members involved in the operation.