Lottery gambling is legal in China and has been state-operated since the mid-1980s, with only two authorized types permitted nationwide: the Welfare Lottery established in 1987 and the Sports Lottery first organized in 1994 (1). The Ministry of Finance oversees lottery administration, having assumed control from the People's Bank of China in January 2000 (1).
China's modern lottery system operates without comprehensive national legislation, relying instead on administrative notices and regulations issued by the State Council and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (1). The China Welfare Lottery Issuing Center under the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the China Sports Lottery Administration Center under the State Sports General Administration manage their respective lottery systems, though this dual structure has created competition and delays in establishing standardized administrative regulations (1).
"In the over 120 countries who have a lottery, their governments have all constituted laws to regulate it. China has yet to do so."
From 1987 to the early 2000s, welfare lottery sales totaled 25 billion yuan with 7.56 billion yuan allocated to public welfare funds supporting over 69,000 welfare projects (1). The gaming industry experienced steady growth in 2024, with domestic market sales reaching 147.26 billion yuan in the first half of the year, reflecting a year-on-year increase of 2.08% (2).
Source:
http://www.china.org.cn/english/Life/100733.htm
https://practiceguides.chambers.com/practice-guides/gaming-law-2024/china/trends-and-developments
Last updated: 16-10-2025 Disclaimer: This article does not provide legal advice. If you need legal advice, please contact an attorney directly.
