Not surprisingly, national lottery sales have hit a new high.

On June 30, data released on the website of the Ministry of Finance showed that a total of 50.021 billion yuan of lottery tickets were sold nationwide in May, an increase of 17.755 billion yuan or 52.7 percent year-on-year.

From January to May, a total of 225.171 billion yuan (RMB, the same below) was sold nationwide, an increase of 75.088 billion yuan, an increase of 50.0%. Among them, the sales of welfare lottery institutions were 71.781 billion yuan, an increase of 16.2%; Sports lottery institutions sold 153.39 billion yuan, up 73.7% year-on-year.

From January to May, compared with the same period last year, lottery sales in all provinces in the country have increased. The provinces with the largest increases were also Jiangsu, Guangdong, Zhejiang and Shandong.

Behind the data, lottery is attracting young people in more diverse ways, and lottery shops are gradually appearing in supermarkets, subways, and even pop-up stores. For some young people, lottery is not only the lure of wealth, but also brings the joy of life and a sense of ritual. Lottery tickets have become a new way for young people to relieve pressure.

"Lottery tickets should be sold responsibly, to meet the entertainment needs of lottery players, but also to guard against irrational and pathological lottery players." Li Gang, a professor at Shanghai Normal University's business school and an expert on lottery research, said, "I want young people to know that the lottery has a very low winning rate and that they can't expect to get rich. It's just an entertainment tool and enough must be done." Li Gang suggested that lottery players should spend less than 1 percent of their monthly income on lottery tickets, and if they spend more than 5 percent, it would be abnormal.