China Lottery Sales Did Well in September as Annual Results Continue to Improve

China continues to snuff out most forms of gambling, but the lottery is the evident exception. Yet, interest in the lottery is not lessening, with sports betting sales up 73.1%, and overall Chinese lottery sales rising by 27.3% to $10.4 billion in September 2026 on an annual basis. The Ministry of Finance, which detailed the numbers, said that the FIFA World Cup has had a lasting impact on interest in the lottery and the sports betting vertical, with sales reaching $5.87 billion in the month and accounting for 58.4% of total sales. Instant lottery sales dropped by 14.9% to $1.49 billion, and video lottery sales dropped to $7.9 million. However, overall sales were up in 31 provinces, with Shandong recording $238.4 million and Henan clocking in at $213.1 million, and Jiangsu bringing in $156.5 million in Sales. Through September, sales rose by 14.6% to $81.33 billion, a significant increase from last year, as the lottery continues to elicit strong engagement from players. In the meantime, the country has urged the 90,000 cinemas in China to adopt diversified activities, including the sale of lottery tickets, as well as host sports events in order to offset declining box office sales.