In a bid to cash in on a market that last year saw sales of around $4 billion, local logistics firm SF Express has reportedly partnered with Hong Kong-listed AGTech Holdings Limited in order to launch an instant scratchcard lottery product in four Chinese provinces.
According to a report from the South China Morning Post newspaper, the new SF Lottery went live on Tuesday in the provinces of Guangdong, Jiangsu, Hunan and Jiangxi via thousands of SF Express couriers and the firm’s SF Best retail stores after earlier being approved by the nation’s Ministry of Finance.
The newspaper reported that SF Express customers can also bulk order scratchcards and have these delivered to their doorsteps while the joint venture hopes to roll out this service on a nationwide basis by the end of the year.
“Previously, people who wanted to buy lottery scratchcards had to go to authorized lottery centers to purchase them but SF Lottery instant scratch lottery cards can be purchased conveniently and instantly from the SF Express courier whenever users receive a parcel,” read a statement from Jimmy Bai, Chief Operating Officer for AGTech Holdings Limited.
Guangdong and Jiangsu ranked as the top two Chinese provinces in terms of sports lottery sales last year while the South China Morning Post additionally reported that the SF Lottery cards were developed in partnership with the nation’s National Sports Lottery Administration Center regulator.
The newspaper reported that the price for an SF Lottery scratchcard starts at $0.14 before topping out at $2.94 with players able to win from $1,470 up to $147,000. Winners will moreover be able to redeem any cash prizes by scanning the QR code on their card utilizing the SF Financial application and without visiting an authorized offline redemption point.
The South China Morning Post reported that research conducted by AGTech Holdings Limited, which already operated similar lottery services in China, suggests that 80% of SF Lottery scratchcard purchases will be made by female players with the majority of these aged between 20 and 35.
“Through the SF Lottery instant scratch lottery, we hope to make lottery scratchcards easily accessible as a form of entertainment to a greater number of people,” read the statement from Bai.