Lotteries continue to perform strongly in 2011

2011-09-05

Reading time 1:40 min

(US).- Lotteries continued to perform robustly in the second quarter of 2011, resulting in a strong overall performance for the January–June period of 2011, as against the January–June period of 2010. All major lottery markets witnessed increases in sales of between 5 and 25% for the first half of 2011, versus the corresponding period of 2010.

Worldwide, sales were up 12.4% for the first six months of 2011 as compared to the first six months of 2010. At the vanguard were participating Latin American lotteries, with a 24.9% increase in sales in the first half of 2011, as against the first half of 2010.

The strong showing in Latin America was largely down to Argentina’s Lotería Nacional Sociedad del Estado, which saw revenue growth of 30.6% for the first half of 2011 over the first half of 2010. Participating Asia Pacific lotteries also recorded strong rates of growth, with a first half on first half increase in sales of 17.3% for 2011 compared to the corresponding period in 2010. Growth in the Asia Pacific region was again driven by participating mainland Chinese lotteries, which collectively witnessed an increase in sales of 30.9% for the first six months of 2011 against the first six months of 2010.

Participating European lotteries also performed vigorously, with an aggregate increase in sales of 8.8% for the first half of 2011 against the first half of 2010. However, here the picture was more complex. The aggregate growth in sales across Europe was driven by excellent results from Lottomatica, which reported an increase in sales of 22.1% for the first half of 2011 over the first half of 2010. However, this revenue growth was offset by a 20.1% decline in sales at OPAP, Greece, for the half of 2011 against the first half of 2010.

Participating North American lotteries experienced a more modest first half, recording an aggregate increase in sales of 5% for the first six months of 2011, as compared to the first six months of 2010. Growth in the North American market was driven largely by the California Lottery, which reported an increase in sales of 19.5% for the first six months of 2011 over the first six months of 2010.

In contrast, aggregate sales at participating African lotteries held steady for the first half of 2011 versus the first half of 2010. While revenue from sales at participating African lotteries grew second quarter on second quarter, the aggregate half year on half year figures were dragged down by the aggregate first quarter on first quarter results.