Following a renewed fervor for scratch cards among young people, a new generation of lottery shop owners have entered the market hoping to get rich and retire early
Elena Liu’s shop in Beijing’s bustling Gulou district is filled with eager fortune-seekers. The shopfront is bright red, an auspicious color in Chinese culture, while a sign at the entrance reads, “Retire early with wealth.” Upon entering, patrons are met with curtains adorned with the phrase “Wealth arrives.” The 36-year-old business owner has spared no expense in making this a space ripe for good luck.
Liu’s customers, mostly in their 20s and 30s, are busy; heads down, they eagerly scratch at lottery tickets, a complimentary gift from Liu when they purchase a cocktail at her bar. Sold for between 5 and 20 yuan, they could be worth 5 to 1 million yuan. Whenever there’s a winner, Liu rings a bell and hands over the cash. “When someone wins even a modest amount like 5 or 10 yuan, it makes their day…they believe that this stroke of luck will spill over into other aspects of their lives,” she says.
Liu opened her store in April after recently becoming a lottery fan herself. These scratch-and-win lottery tickets have boomed among China’s youth since 2023, and young entrepreneurs like Liu are trying to ride the wave. According to China’s Ministry of Finance, sales of instant-win lottery tickets reached 119 billion yuan in 2023, more than double the previous year. Livestreamers have racked up thousands of followers filming themselves scratching off tickets, a trend authorities later cracked down on after some began selling tickets to viewers and playing them on camera on their behalf—all without a license.
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