Ex Chief of China Welfare Lottery Sentenced to 11 Years for Graft

GamblingCompliance, an outlet that covers the global gambling industry, reported on Wednesday that former head of the China Welfare Lottery Distribution and Management Center of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Wang Suying, 58, accepted bribes and abused her office.

The ex-chief could also not explain how she managed to amass her wealth, worth eight million yuan ($1,2 million), Chinadaily wrote. This includes more than 20 insurance policies with premiums of neary $800,000.

The China Welfare Lottery Issuance Center was established in 1987 as a fundraiser for the country’s social welfare funds, including disaster relief and welfare works.

Of the 14 lottery officials that were suspected of having embezzled 136 billion yuan ($20 billion),

Wang is the second to be sentenced.

Li Wei, a lawyer from the Beijing Lawyers Association, claims the way the lottery’s funds are used is “not transparent and people don't know how the money is spent.” This opens the doors to corruption, he added.

 The National Audit Office found more than a fifth of the lottery funds have been used fraudulently. Some of the funds have been used to build new houses for government officials or for paying them subsidies.