China’s lottery sales rose nearly 10% in the first quarter of 2018, primarily on the strength of the sports lottery product.

Figures released Tuesday by China’s Ministry of Finance show total lottery sales of RMB40b (US$6.3b) in the month of March, a nearly 6% rise over the same month last year. The gains pushed the first quarter’s total sales up 9.4% year-on-year to RMB104.2b ($16.5b).

The sports lottery drove Q1’s sales, rising 18.3% year-on-year to RMB51.9b, while the welfare lottery just managed to maintain its market dominance despite rising a mere 1.8% to RMB52.2b. The sports lottery is expected to surge even higher once the 2018 FIFA World Cup kicks off this June, much as the sports lottery surged dramatically during the 2014 event and the Euro 2016 tourney.

CHINA’S FIRST SPORTS BETTING PODCAST