Sales of lottery tickets in Japan have fallen for a second straight year, down 6.9% to JPY786.6 billion in 2017 according to official figures released this week.
According to a report in The Japan Times, the decline represents the first time since 1997 that sales have come in below JPY800 billion. Sales peaked at JPY1.1 trillion in 2005.
The 2017 fall in sales included a 13.1% decrease in sales of Jumbo Takarakuji to JPY325.6 billion while profits from Takarakuji sales, considered to be a vital revenue source for local governments, fell to below JPY300 billion.
Japan’s internal affairs ministry is set to allow Jumbo lottery sales on the official website for Takarakuji and credit card payments from October in an attempt to boost sales.
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