China’s lottery sales continued their slow climb out of the cellar in May while the courts delivered their latest blow to online gambling payment processors.

Figures released Tuesday by China’s Ministry of Finance show lottery sales totaling RMB29.2b (US$4.13b) in the month of May, a 17.7% decline from the same month last year but a nearly RMB6b rise from April’s result. For the year to date, sales are off 49.2% to RMB90.3b.

May’s sports lottery sales were down by one-fifth year-on-year to RMB15.2b, but that was RMB3.7b higher than April thanks to more international sports leagues resuming activity. Welfare lottery sales, which briefly reclaimed the sales crown in April thanks to the sports halt, fell 15% year-on-year to RMB14b, up from RMB11.9b in April.

China suspended all lottery sales in January as the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown took effect. Sales began resuming in some provinces in March, with Beijing being the last region to resume operations until May.