China’s lottery sales finally rebounded from their long decline in July, posting their first annual sales rise in 18 months.  

Figures released Tuesday by China’s Ministry of Finance show total lottery sales of RMB36.15b (US$5.28b) in the month of July, up 10.4% from the same month last year and 7.5% higher than June 2020’s total.  

July 2020’s gains were largely due to the resumption of major sports activity following the pandemic-related suspension of play this spring. Sports lottery sales rose 17.1% year-on-year to RMB20.7b while welfare lottery sales were up a more modest 2.6% to RMB15.4b.

That said, sales over the first seven months of 2020 hit RMB160b, down nearly 35% from this point last year. Sports lottery sales are down 35.6% to RMB85.3b while welfare lotteries fell 33.8% to RMB74.4b.