Lottery Ticket Sales in China Surge Amid Youth Unemployment Woes

Lottery ticket sales in China jumped 53.6% in August 2022 compared to August 2021, reaching 52.96 billion yuan ($7.25 billion). This is the highest monthly total so far in 2022.

From January to August 2022, total lottery ticket sales in China were 375.76 billion yuan, up 51.6% versus the same period in 2021.

The spike in lottery ticket sales comes amid weak economic data and high youth unemployment in China. The jobless rate for 16-24 year olds hit a record 21.3% in June.

Some link the rise in lottery sales to young people's economic anxieties and dimming job prospects. Social media posts contrast lottery wins to earning money through work.

The statistics bureau stopped publishing the youth unemployment rate in August, saying it was optimizing data collection methods, sparking criticism.