China Sports Lottery Hits RMB83.3B During World Cup

China’s state-run Sports Lottery generated approximately RMB83.3 billion (US$11.6 billion) in single-match football betting sales during the six-week FIFA World Cup period, highlighting strong public interest in the tournament despite the national team’s absence from the competition.

Weekly Betting Sales Rose Throughout the Tournament

The figures cover weekly sales from the tournament’s opening match on June 8 through to the day before the final on July 19.

Weekly turnover was reported as follows:

• RMB6.87 billion

• RMB15.15 billion

• RMB16.27 billion

• RMB17.20 billion

• RMB16.84 billion

• RMB10.98 billion

According to the source, sales in the opening week nearly doubled, increasing by 97% compared with the previous week. Betting turnover then remained above RMB15 billion for four consecutive weeks before easing during the final reporting period.

The published figures relate only to single-match football betting products and do not include total Sports Lottery sales. They also exclude betting activity linked to the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain, meaning overall tournament turnover across all lottery products would have been higher.

State Lottery Remains the Only Legal Option

In mainland China, the only authorised gambling products are the China Sports Lottery and the China Welfare Lottery.

Within the Sports Lottery, football betting allows players to wager on match results, handicap markets, correct scores and total goals through approved single-match products.

The system is fully controlled by the government, which determines the betting schedule and payout structure. According to the report, the average return-to-player rate is approximately 73%.

The report also noted that legal betting represents only part of the country's overall gambling activity.

Citing industry estimates, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has valued China's illegal gambling market at more than US$145 billion annually, driven by offshore sportsbooks, underground bookmakers and online betting agents serving mainland customers. Based on those estimates, total World Cup betting by Chinese residents is likely to have been considerably higher than the official Sports Lottery figures.

Tournament Attracted Massive Viewership

The World Cup also generated significant television and online audiences across China.

State broadcaster CCTV reported that its tournament coverage including live matches, news and special programmes recorded a cumulative 70 billion views before the final.

The final itself attracted a combined audience of 282 million viewers across CCTV’s television and digital platforms, with peak live viewership reaching 41.23 million. These figures represent cumulative viewing across multiple platforms rather than unique viewers.

National Team Still Chasing World Cup Success

China did not qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after finishing fifth in its six-team qualifying group, including a 7-0 defeat to Japan. The country has appeared at the World Cup finals only once, in 2002.

The report also referenced President Xi Jinping’s long-term ambition, announced in 2015, for China to become a nation capable of hosting, qualifying for and eventually winning the FIFA World Cup. Despite continued investment in football, the national team's results have yet to reflect those aspirations.