People buy lottery tickets at a China Welfare Lottery station in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province. Photo: IC

China's lottery ticket sales in September recorded a year-on-year increase of 58.3 percent or 19.44 billion yuan ($2.66 billion) to reach 52.77 billion yuan, as an increasing number of major events such as the Hangzhou Asian Games have contributed to new instant lottery ticket sale, data from the Ministry of Finance showed on Monday. 

The sales of lottery tickets from welfare organizations reached 18.21 billion yuan, a year-on-year growth of 47.9 percent or 5.89 billion yuan. The sales for the sports lottery tickets grew by 64.5 percent annually or 13.55 billion yuan to 34.56 billion yuan. 

In the first nine months of 2023, total sales of domestic lottery tickets reached 428.54 billion yuan, a yearly increase of 52.4 percent or 147.29 billion yuan. 

Young Chinese consumers have become the major purchasing force for lottery tickets over the past few years. Generation Z consumers accounted 38.1 percent of the total buyers for sports lottery tickets, according to a research report analyzing Chinese lottery buyers in 2022. 

The report also noted that more than 72 percent of lottery buyers make purchases for reasons beyond just winning prizes, but also for entertainment and relaxation purposes as well. 

A Beijing-based white-collar worker told the Global Times on Monday that she purchases lottery tickets occasionally for fun. She said that she does not really attach great hopes to win any big prizes, but purchasing lottery is a way for her releasing stress. 

The diversification in lottery products is another major attraction for young consumers. Taking the sports lottery for instance, the changes in sales channels and products optimization have further appealed for more youth to buy, according to media reports. 

Global Times