Welfare Lottery Benefits ChinaWelfare lottery is playing an increasingly bigger role in China since it appeared 13 years ago.By the end of 1999, a total of 39.52 billion yuan (US$4.76 billion) worth of lottery tickets had sold since welfare lottery was introduced into the country on July 28, 1987. Over 11.87 billion yuan (US$1.43 billion) of social welfare funds had been collected as a result. Out of which, 1.5 billion yuan (US$180 million) had been turned to the state as a special disaster relief fund and eight billion yuan been spent on welfare works. Welfare lottery has provided impetus to China's welfare development. Statistics from the Ministry of Civil Affairs showed that from 1987 to 1997, governments at all levels invested 1.41 billion yuan (US$169.8 million) into urban welfare facilities, while welfare lotteries provided to it 4.1 billion yuan (US$493 million) during the same period. Welfare lottery has been a major factor that prevented the country's public welfare from falling far behind the fast economic development, said an official with the China Welfare Lottery Center. Thanks to money collected from welfare lottery, over 81,000 welfare projects, including special education for mentally- retarded children, have been established across the country. At present, the Ministry of Civil Affairs collects 2.5 percent of the lottery sales for a special social welfare fund, which has financed the rebuilding of 103 children welfare institutions and treated some 2,000 disabled children. Welfare lottery has indirectly pushed forward China's economic development, the official said. Up till now, welfare lottery has expanded to cover 95 percent of the country, employing over 74,750 people. A recent survey of welfare lottery also showed that the country 's lucky winners will not hesitate to spend their windfalls from welfare lottery. Seventy-three percent of the respondents said they would spend the money right away to buy houses or cars, according to the survey by the China Welfare Lottery Center. Some economists were much encouraged by the results of the survey, noting that lottery will be a boost to the country's domestic consumption. It is estimated that nearly 4 billion yuan (US$481 million) will be spent on domestic consumption if 10 billion yuan (US$1.20 billion) worth of welfare lotteries are sold each year. |
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