The Fifa World Cup captured the attention of soccer fans and gamblers in China, according to data from the state broadcaster and sports lottery.
CCTV, the state broadcaster, shared that its match broadcasts, special programs and news broadcasts reached a media audience of more than 70 billion views before the World Cup final.
During the final between Argentina and Spain, the broadcaster revealed that the live media coverage reached an aggregate audience of 282 million, peaking at a real-time audience of 41.23 million.
It wasn’t just ordinary football fans who enjoyed the World Cup – gamblers also watched with great interest as China’s sports lottery market experienced a surge in sales during the tournament.
Official data from the China Sports Lottery showed that the weekly sales of single-match betting games for the six weeks from the opening match on June 8 to the eve of the final on July 19 were 6.87 billion yuan (US$1.014 billion), 15.15 billion yuan, 16.27 billion yuan, 17.20 billion yuan, 16.8 billion yuan and 17.20 billion yuan. 1. Yuan.
The total amount spent on gambling during the entire period was 83.3 billion yuan.
