BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) -- China's lottery sales slumped 43.3 percent year on year to 27.21 billion yuan in January, data from the Ministry of Finance showed on Wednesday.
The sharp fall in lottery sales was mainly due to the closure of the lottery market during the Spring Festival holiday, the adjustment of game rules and a high comparison base caused by the lasting effect of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.
In breakdown, sales of welfare lottery tickets dropped 39.3 percent year on year to 12.89 billion yuan, while sports lottery sales declined 46.4 percent to 14.32 billion yuan.
About 31 provincial regions posted year-on-year sales declines in January, with Jiangsu, Guangdong, Shandong, Zhejiang and Henan leading the laggards.
Under China's lottery management rules, money from lottery ticket sales is used for administrative expenses, public welfare projects and prize money. (Edited by Yang Yifan, yangyifan@xinhua.org)
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