Ministry of Finance: Total lottery sales in China in April amounted to 54.073 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 6.4%.

On May 25, the Ministry of Finance released the nationwide lottery sales figures for April 2026. In April, the total lottery sales nationwide were 540.73 billion yuan, a decrease of 36.72 billion yuan compared to the same period last year, a drop of 6.4%. The main reasons for this decrease are the high sales base of instant lottery tickets during the same period last year, as well as a decrease in sports events activities this year leading to a decrease in sports betting lottery sales. Among them, welfare lottery organizations sold 179.58 billion yuan, a decrease of 12.17 billion yuan, down 6.3%; sports lottery organizations sold 361.16 billion yuan, a decrease of 24.55 billion yuan, down 6.4%. In total, from January to April, nationwide lottery sales reached 1980.33 billion yuan, a decrease of 83.04 billion yuan compared to the same period last year, a drop of 4.0%. Among them, welfare lottery organizations sold 663.60 billion yuan, a decrease of 40.91 billion yuan, down 5.8%; sports lottery organizations sold 1316.72 billion yuan, a decrease of 42.13 billion yuan, down 3.1%. In April, the sales of different types of lottery tickets were as follows: lottery number tickets sold 152.55 billion yuan, a decrease of 9.54 billion yuan, down 5.9%; sports betting lottery tickets sold 247.88 billion yuan, a decrease of 10.95 billion yuan, down 4.2%; instant lottery tickets sold 108.28 billion yuan, a decrease of 11.33 billion yuan, down 9.5%; Keno lottery tickets sold 32.03 billion yuan, a decrease of 4.90 billion yuan, down 13.3%. In April, lottery number tickets, sports betting lottery tickets, instant lottery tickets, and Keno lottery tickets accounted for 28.2%, 45.9%, 20.0%, and 5.9% of total lottery sales respectively. Video lottery sales were 0.005 billion yuan, an increase of 0.0043 billion yuan compared to the same period last year. From January to April, lottery number tickets sold 548.03 billion yuan, a decrease of 30.63 billion yuan, down 5.3%; sports betting lottery tickets sold 873.02 billion yuan, a decrease of 28.80 billion yuan, down 3.2%; instant lottery tickets sold 438.15 billion yuan, a decrease of 16.28 billion yuan, down 3.6%; Keno lottery tickets sold 121.11 billion yuan, a decrease of 7.35 billion yuan, down 5.7%. From January to April, lottery number tickets, sports betting lottery tickets, instant lottery tickets, and Keno lottery tickets accounted for 27.7%, 44.1%, 22.1%, and 6.1% of total lottery sales respectively. Video lottery sales were 0.02 billion yuan, an increase of 0.0156 billion yuan compared to the same period last year. In April, compared to the same period last year, lottery sales increased in 8 provinces nationwide, with Gansu and Anhui seeing larger increases of 0.8 billion yuan and 0.4 billion yuan respectively. 23 provinces saw a decrease in lottery sales, with Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, and Chongqing experiencing larger decreases of 4.8 billion yuan, 4.8 billion yuan, 4.4 billion yuan, and 3.9 billion yuan respectively. From January to April, compared to the same period last year, lottery sales increased in 7 provinces nationwide, with Henan, Gansu, Jilin, and Tibet seeing larger increases of 4.8 billion yuan, 2.0 billion yuan, 1.1 billion yuan, and 1.1 billion yuan respectively. 24 provinces saw a decrease in lottery sales, with Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Chongqing, and Shaanxi experiencing larger decreases of 12.9 billion yuan, 12.0 billion yuan, 11.6 billion yuan, and 9.4 billion yuan respectively. It is important for all levels of lottery organizations to closely track and analyze new situations and issues, strengthen lottery issuance and sales work, and ensure the smooth operation of the market. Financial departments at all levels should further strengthen lottery supervision, actively create a favorable external environment, maintain market order, and promote the sustainable and healthy development of the lottery industry. This article is compiled from the Ministry of Finance, translated by GMTEight editor: Chen Wenfang.