Chinese market drives 13% world lottery sales increase

World-wide lottery sales increased by 13 percent year-on-year in 2011 according to new statistics compiled by the World Lottery Association (WLA). The sales growth was led by the Asia-Pacific region, which recorded an aggregate year-on-year boost of nearly 19 percent, which was attributed, in part, to the continued rise in the popularity of lotteries in mainland China.

In its report, the WLA stated that the Latin American market was close behind with annual sales up by 15.7 percent in the period, led by the ‘strong showing’ of Argentina’s Loteria Nacional Sociedad Del Estado. Aggregate lottery sales in Europe rose by 10.7 percent, aided by the ‘sterling performance’ of Lottomatica.

“The European market performed vigorously also, recording double-digit growth in the second-half of 2011 versus the second-half of 2010,” read a statement from the WLA.

“The robust state of global lottery sales coming into 2012 projects an optimistic outlook for global sales of lottery products throughout 2012.”

In contrast, North American lotteries witnessed an aggregate year-on-year increase in sales of only 6.2 percent when compared with 2010, although this expansion had been ‘consistent and measured across all four quarters’.