China sports lottery to rebound thanks to football, Olympics, online reboot

China’s sports lottery business is primed for a resurgence in 2016 after a tough 2015, according to market watchers.

China’s sports lottery sales are expected to surge over the next couple months, thanks to the Euro 2016 and Copa America football tournaments, as well as the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio.

The 2014 FIFA World Cup gave sports lottery numbers a significant boost but Everbright Securities analyst Jiang Hao suggested the European Championship and Copa America events would prove even more popular with Chinese sports lottery bettors, in part due to the ‘all-star’ makeup of the teams involved.

Jiang suggested June’s lottery numbers would show “a multiple yearly increase” over the same month last year, particularly in the match betting category. Match betting was already on a tear in 2016, posting year-on-year gains of 71% and 49% in March and April, respectively.