The Updated Chinese Lottery Rules Prohibit Online Sales

In March, 2015, the Chinese Ministry of Finance ordered a temporary freeze on all online lottery sales. According to internet gambling news in China, there had been corruption in the online sales of the official lottery. Those sales were not reported to the state and fraud was also a problem. In order to be in complete control, the authority updated the Chinese lottery rules this year.

What Are the New Chinese Lottery Rules?

In August, 2018, 12 Chinese ministries and commission have jointly issued the Amendments to the Regulations on the Administration of Lottery Regulations. This document affects online gambling laws in China. The updated Chinese lottery rules permanently ban online sales of lottery products, effective on the first of October 2018. In addition, the term illegal lottery is clearly defined as:

“welfare lottery tickets and sports lottery tickets sold on the internet without authorisation.”

Apple’s App Problem

Earlier this year, Apple had already run into a problem with the Chinese lottery rules. CCTV, a Chinese state-run network, criticised Apple for having more than 25,000 illegal lottery apps in the App Store.

How did those illegal apps get pass Apple’s inspection? The answer is cosplaying. Developers specifically made them look like other apps on the outside. Once you log into the apps, you could actually buy lottery. Apple responded to the criticism by making efforts to prevent cosplayed apps in the future. However, Chinese people who have already downloaded those illegal lottery apps can still use them.

Official Lottery Provider Suggest Alternatives

It’s normal to be concerned about the updated Chinese lottery rules. According to China’s official lottery website, prohibiting the online sales may cause purchasing inconvenience and obstruct growth. Alternatively, lottery combined with internet, TV shopping or radio platforms are some suggested options to boost sales. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee about what the Chinese authority would say about these alternatives.