Global lottery sales grew 7.7% last year, driven by strong performance in the Asia-Pacific and Latin America markets.
On a percentage basis, Asia-Pacific lotteries delivered the best aggregate results worldwide, posting sales growth of 15% year on year, according to newly released data from the World Lottery Association. China’s Welfare and Sports lotteries were prime drivers, growing sales by 18.2%, and 17.8%, respectively.
It was a good year as well for Australia’s Lotterywest, which reported an increase of 16.7%.
Latin America saw a combined sales increase of 12.9% over 2011, driven principally by the continent’s two largest operators: Argentina’s Lotería Nacional Sociedad del Estado (+17.2%) and Brazil’s Caixa Econômica Federal (+7.7%).
North American lotteries reported an aggregate increase in sales of 10.3%. African lotteries saw sales grow a combined 11.8%, led by a 36.1% increase from Morocco’s La Marocaine des Jeux.
Europe somewhat offset these gains, posting only moderate increases in the first half of 2012 followed by an even weaker second half, finally ending the year virtually flat at +1.6%.
The ongoing economic crisis on the continent saw sales at Greece’s OPAP contract by 11.8% in the fourth quarter versus the same period in 2011. Spain’s SELAE and ONCE lotteries also were down in Q4, as were Finland’s Veikkhaus Oy and Switzerland’s Loterie Romande. Poland’s Totalisator Sportowy was an exception, reporting a 12-month increase of 14.5%.
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