Even though the COVID-19 pandemic caused many professional sports events around the world to be canceled or postponed, the nation’s sports lottery sales last year generated revenue of NT$40.5 billion (US$1.42 billion), thanks to a contingency plan enacted by the Sports Administration in March.
Agency statistics showed sales revenue in 2019 reached NT$41.6 billion, while the pandemic caused the revenue to drop by about 11 percent.
Sports lotteries in Japan, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, the Philippines and China all reported much larger declines in sales during the first three quarters of the year, ranging from 30 to 60 percent, the Sports Administration said.
Photo: Hsu Kuo-chen, Taipei Times
The US National Basketball Association (NBA) on March 12 announced that it was indefinitely postponing its games, and professional leagues around the world soon followed suit, the agency said.
That led the Sports Administration to implement a contingency plan on March 16 to minimize the pandemic’s impact on sports lottery sales.
First, it allowed people to bet on professional sports games that had not been disrupted by the pandemic, including those in Central and South America and Africa, as well as electronic sports leagues, the agency said.
Second, the reserve fund for liability was capped at NT$700 million so that people could engage in single game betting or live betting in some of the popular events, the agency said.
Third, as major professional sports leagues resumed games over the summer, contractor Taiwan Sports Lottery introduced betting schemes with higher prize payout rates, the agency said.
That move effectively made up for lost sales during the first half of the year, it said.
Between March 17 and Dec. 31, Taiwan Sports Lottery offered a total of 28,909 games for betting, creating sales revenue of NT$31.9 billion, the agency said.
More than 1,500 sports lottery retailers nationwide also benefited, receiving a total of about NT$199.77 million in commissions, it said.
“We thank the Sports Administration for enforcing the contingency plan and offering relief funds to sports lottery retailers during this difficult time. We continue to improve our service to help the nation expand the economies of scale for sports industry,” Taiwan Sports Lottery said.
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
Johanne Liou (劉喬安), a Taiwanese woman who shot to unwanted fame during the Sunflower movement protests in 2014, returned to Taiwan last night after being deported from the US. She is to stand trial in Taiwan for charges involving embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said it took her into custody at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and would first question her before transferring her to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. She was arrested upon disembarking a flight from San Francisco that landed shortly before 7pm. Liou absconded to the US in 2019 after jumping bail
Shih Hsin University President Chen Ching-he (陳清河) yesterday issued a public apology for comments made in his commencement speech last week, stating that he has asked the school to suspend his duties and halt his wages for two months as a show of contrition. At the commencement ceremony on May 30, Chen said, “If you don’t manage your time well, or your own emotions, or your health, then I am telling every one of you — put a quick end to ‘you,’ because the world has no need for ‘you.’” The comments have sparked significant controversy online, and Chen through an open
RSS