A report launched on Sunday has shown that China has more than 200 million frequent lottery ticket buyers, who on average spend 85 yuan on lotteries each month, China News Service reported.
The Online Poll of Chinese Lottery Ticket Buyers, a study conducted by Beijing Normal University (BNU), found that 3.2 percent of the 200 million are addicted to participating in lotteries, including some 430 thousand who show strong symptoms of addiction, which the study termed "occupational disease."
The BNU study surveyed almost 180 thousand people and concluded that those who are categorized as "addicted" are prone to financial difficulties, social problems and, in extreme cases, crime.
According to the study, 93 percent of lottery ticket buyers in China are male, and most lottery enthusiasts are aged 26 to 34. China has banned the sales of lottery tickets to minors, but the poll revealed that 2.4 percent of lottery buyers are aged under 17.
Most lottery ticket buyers confessed they wished to "get rich overnight" through lotteries.