China’s lottery sales surged by 54 percent in June and July compared to the previous year, driven by increased enthusiasm for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In July alone, lottery sales jumped 69 percent to CNY87.6 billion (about USD13 billion), according to the Ministry of Finance. The previous month, sales rose 40 percent to CNY76 billion, making the combined total for June and July CNY163.6 billion (approximately USD24.3 billion), a 54 percent increase over the same period last year.
The government attributed this significant growth to the surge in sports lottery spending fueled by the FIFA World Cup, which was hosted in the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.
Data shows that China’s sports lottery sales climbed 86 percent in the two months ending July 31, reaching CNY131.2 billion. This category accounts for roughly 80 percent of overall lottery sales during that period. Notably, sports betting-style lottery sales soared by 134 percent, hitting CNY108.1 billion.
A sports lottery retailer in Wuhan shared that during the FIFA World Cup, their sales roughly tripled compared to the same period last year.
The World Cup’s influence appeared to revive China’s lottery market, which had experienced a 4.7 percent decline in sales during the first five months of the year. Thanks to the strong performance in June and July, overall lottery sales rebounded with a 12 percent increase, totaling CNY414.5 billion in the first seven months of the year compared to the previous year.