China’s World Cup Lottery Sales Climb to CNY83.3bn
Data on China Sports Lottery revealed that there was an evident jump in numbers starting from the second week of reporting, since sales grew from CNY6.87 billion to CNY15.15 billion within just one week.
The total was 41.6% above the CNY58.82 billion reported across all prediction-type lottery games during the 2022 World Cup. The product categories were not identical.
Sales Peak in First Knockout Week
The period under review was from June 8 until July 19. That was three days before the start of the World Cup and until its end.
| Reporting Period | Sales |
| June 8-14 | CNY6.87bn |
| June 15-21 | CNY15.15bn |
| June 22-28 | CNY16.27bn |
| June 29-July 5 | CNY17.20bn |
| July 6-12 | CNY16.84bn |
| July 13-19 | CNY10.98bn |
Sales peaked between June 29 and July 5 at CNY17.2 billion, coinciding with the first full week of knockout-stage matches. They remained close to that level in the following period before falling to CNY10.98 billion in the final week.
Demand Grows Without a Chinese Team
The country failed to qualify for the World Cup tournament, but the interest was still there. According to the CCTV data:
- Its tournament broadcasts, special programming, and news coverage generated more than 70 billion cumulative cross-media views by the eve of the final;
- Live cross-media coverage of the Argentina-Spain final reached a cumulative audience of 282 million;
- Real-time viewership peaked at 41.23 million.
As these figures illustrate, China channels the demand for betting on football games via a state-managed system. Online gambling and unauthorized online lottery sales remain illegal in mainland China.
This split was clear during the World Cup tournament. Weibo said it removed more than 100,000 posts promoting unauthorized lottery sales, illegal betting, and gambling-related traffic redirection. It also shut down 120 groups and imposed temporary or permanent restrictions on more than 50,000 accounts. Chinese police separately reported cases involving overseas betting agents, illegal betting pools, and groups providing payment settlement services.
State Lottery Sets a Higher Benchmark
The effect in 2026 is a confirmation that large football events are capable of bringing a significant boost to China’s legitimate lottery service. The increased number of teams from 32 to 48 brought more games and even one more knockout stage.
The weekly trend also sets a limit on the conclusion. Sales accelerated during the knockout phase and dropped in the final reporting period. This points to a concentrated tournament surge rather than a stable new level of demand. Still, the CNY83.3 billion total sets a substantial new benchmark for football lottery sales around major international tournaments.