World Cup boosts China's June lottery sales by 39.5%

(ECNS) -- China’s lottery sales rose 39.5% from a year earlier to 75.98 billion yuan ($11.2 billion) in June, as the 2026 FIFA World Cup boosted demand for sports lottery products based on match results, data released Tuesday by China’s Ministry of Finance showed.

In June, sports lottery sales rose 62.9% to 59.22 billion yuan ($8.7 billion), while welfare lottery sales fell 7.6% to 16.76 billion yuan ($2.5 billion).

All 31 provincial-level regions recorded year-on-year growth in lottery sales during the month.

In the first half of 2026, total lottery sales increased 2.8% to 326.87 billion yuan ($48.3 billion). Sports lottery sales rose 7.6% to 226.79 billion yuan ($33.5 billion), while welfare lottery sales declined 6.6% to 100.09 billion yuan ($14.8 billion).

(By Intern Yang Hongran, Zhangdongfang)