Core Insights - China's lottery sales reached 476.137 billion yuan in the first three quarters of this year, marking a year-on-year growth of 1.5%, but the growth rate has significantly slowed compared to 9.4% in the same period last year [1] - The slowdown in growth is attributed to high sales figures from last year due to major sporting events like the European Cup and the Olympics, which created a high base effect [1] - The lottery market in China is primarily divided between two institutions: the China Welfare Lottery and the China Sports Lottery, with the latter surpassing the former in revenue since 2018 [1] Sales Performance by Type - Among different types of lottery, the sales figures for the first three quarters are as follows: - Sports lottery sales: 208.84 billion yuan (down 2.5% year-on-year) - Lotto sales: 134.637 billion yuan (up 0.4% year-on-year) - Instant lottery sales: 101.356 billion yuan (up 14.2% year-on-year) - Keno sales: 31.302 billion yuan (down 2.2% year-on-year) [2] - Instant lottery sales, such as scratch cards, continue to show strong growth, while sports lottery sales have declined due to fewer major sporting events this year [2] Regional Sales Insights - In terms of regional performance, 21 provinces saw an increase in lottery sales compared to last year, with notable increases in Shandong (1.89 billion yuan), Hubei (1.43 billion yuan), and Henan (1.25 billion yuan) [2] - Conversely, 10 provinces experienced a decline in sales, with significant decreases in Jiangxi (0.88 billion yuan), Zhejiang (0.79 billion yuan), and Guizhou (0.61 billion yuan) [2] Purpose of Lottery Sales - The primary purpose of lottery sales in China is to raise funds for social welfare and sports, with a portion of the sales revenue allocated to the lottery public welfare fund, which is distributed equally between central and local governments for social welfare projects [2]