The newly revised lottery regulation ordinance issued by the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and General Administration of Sport came into effect on Oct 1. According to the updated rules on online lottery operations welfare lottery tickets and sports lottery tickets sold by the internet without authorization are illegal.

As early as this August, 12 departments including the Ministry of Finance jointly issued an announcement banning unapproved lottery sales on the internet. This is the first time that it has been stipulated that unauthorized online lotteries are illegal.

The new regulation requires the financial, civil affairs and sports authorities above the county level as well as the lottery issuing and sales authorities to actively cooperate with the public security and market supervision and administration departments to prohibit unapproved online lotteries.

Experts expect that the new regulation will close the loophole in the former lottery regulation by making clear that online lottery sales without government approval are illegal. It will help prevent the spread of gambling, and help the lottery industry return to its original goal of raising funds for charity purposes.