China’s sports lottery suffered no World Cup hangover in August, as sales maintained the explosive growth the sector has enjoyed this year.

On Thursday, China’s Ministry of Finance announced that overall lottery sales in the month of August had exceeded RMB41.8b (US$6.07b), up 19.2% from the same month last year, and a new monthly sales record for a non-World Cup month. For the year-to-date, total lottery sales are up nearly one-quarter to RMB341.6b ($49.6b).

August’s growth was almost entirely due to sports lottery sales, which shot up 36.6% to RMB24b, while the formerly dominant welfare lottery category could manage only a 1.8% rise to RMB17.8b. For the year-to-date, sports lottery sales are up 46.2% to RMB194.2b, while the welfare lottery is up 4.6% to RMB147.5b.

The sports lottery’s remarkable growth is all the more remarkable given that August was well past the conclusion of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which saw sports lottery sales more than double year-on-year in June and July.

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Figures released Thursday by the Nevada Gaming Control Board show the state’s casinos generated gaming revenue of $913m in August, down 8.3% from July’s total and 7.7% less than the same month last year, which included the blockbuster interfaith tilt between the aforementioned boxing and mixed martial arts champions.

The absence of high-rollers in town for the fight was most evident on the Las Vegas Strip, where casino gaming revenue slid 12.4% to $477.9m. The only larger decline was at Boulder Strip casinos, which fell 16.3% to $62.2m.

Nevada’s slot machines held up the best under the VIP disappearing act, as revenue dipped only 1% to $618.3m. But ‘table, counter and card games’ fell nearly one-fifth year-on-year to $294.7m, with double-digit declines in most card games, at least, those that cater to a more Western audience.

Online gambling operator 888 Holdings saw its shares hit their lowest point in over two years after reporting ongoing struggles in its core UK market.

Figures released Thursday show the UK-listed 888’s revenue hitting US$273.2m in the six months ending June 30, a 1% year-on-year improvement. However, in constant currency terms, group revenue suffered a 5% decline.

Adjusted earnings were up 10% to $42.5m – only 1% at constant currency – while actual earnings came in at $70m versus a $7.3m loss in H1 2017. Similarly, adjusted profit improved 13% to $42.5m while actual profit swung to $60.1m from a $17.3m loss in the previous year.

888 was dealing with some significant items in H1 2017, including a $45.3m charge for unpaid VAT in its German operations. 888 also walked away from several newly inhospitable markets, including Australia and Poland, that didn’t help the H1 2018 numbers.