Government data showed that sales of online lottery tickets called Lotto in South Korea is set to reach a 13-year high in 2017 due to a sagging economy and record youth unemployment.
According to the Lottery Committee of the Finance Ministry, Lotto sales came to 3.61 trillion won this year.
The amount marked the largest since 2003, when the sales peaked at 3.8 trillion won.
The government increased the number of sales outlets by 2,000 between 2015 and 2017 in order to meet the rising growth in Lotto sales.
Lotto sales, which account for 92 percent of total lottery sales in Korea, have risen for seven years in a row.
462 people have won the lottery this year with prizes ranging from 739 million to 6.3 billion won.
