The only form of legal gambling on the Chinese mainland is back in business following an unprecedented 49-day shutdown caused by the coronavirus.

On March 11, China’s National Sports Lottery Center issued an “Announcement on the Resumption of Sports Lottery Issuance and Sales in Eligible Areas.” A similar announcement was made regarding the country’s welfare lottery, formally okaying provincial lottery administration centers to restart operations that were suspended on January 22.

The “orderly restoration” of lottery sales is rolling out on a piecemeal basis — for example, Shanxi province didn’t restart sales until Monday — based in part on a region’s ‘eligibility.’ This appears to be a reference to the ongoing quarantine in Hubei province, the ‘ground zero’ of the coronavirus outbreak.

For the time being, the Ministry is also preserving the suspension of lottery ticket redemption, apparently to avoid a surge in traffic by players who were holding winning tickets throughout the shutdown from a draw that predated January 22.