China’s lottery sales picked up in March after retailers launched phased re-openings and Chinese authorities have imposed a record financial penalty on an online gambling payment processor.

Figures released Saturday by China’s Ministry of Finance show lottery sales of RMB10.5b (US$1.5b) in the month of March, a 70% decline from the same month last year but up dramatically from just RMB1m in February as retailers slowly resumed operations after their lengthy COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.

Total sales over the first quarter of 2020 were down 64.5% to RMB37.7b, with sports lottery sales (RMB19.65b, -65.7%) somehow managing to maintain their lead over the rival welfare lottery (RMB18.05b, -63.2%) despite the mass cancellation of major sports events.

Beijing’s lottery operators reopened this week after a 105-day long closure, making it the last region in China to relaunch operations. Early reports indicated that sales have been slow, but retailers are hopeful that the resumption of Germany’s Bundesliga season later this month will help draw sports lottery customers back to the shops.