In recent years, billiards has once again surged in popularity in China, evolving from a casual pastime on street corners into an industry with a huge market scale. Whether in terms of participation numbers, venue quantity, or the improvement of the industrial chain, the billiards industry has shown a strong development momentum.
According to Qichacha data, the number of domestic billiards halls has seen explosive growth, with over 160,000 billiards halls spread across cities and towns. In 2024, the number of newly registered enterprises related to billiards halls reached 55,400, a year-on-year increase of 33.39%, hitting a historical high. Up to now, 16,500 such enterprises have been registered this year. Data from the Zhongyan Puhua Industry Research Institute shows that China’s billiards market scale is expected to exceed 100 billion yuan by 2025, with the number of billiards enthusiasts surpassing 210 million, achieving an annual growth rate of 180%. This large consumer group and the continuously rising market scale have laid a solid foundation for the development of the billiards industry.
The prosperity of the billiards industry is driven by multiple factors. At the public participation level, billiards has a low threshold, moderate exercise intensity, and combines competitiveness with social attributes, making it popular among urban office workers and young people. Many billiards halls provide catering, private room services, etc., further expanding their social functions and making them popular venues for friend gatherings and business social activities.
The hosting of competitions and the star effect have also greatly enhanced the influence of billiards. Chinese player Zhao Xintong’s victory in the World Championship attracted nearly 200 million views on related topics, drawing more people to pay attention to and participate in billiards. The rise of social media has provided a new channel for billiards promotion. Rich billiards content on short-video platforms has attracted a large number of young viewers, and professional players interact with fans through social media, keeping the popularity of billiards on the rise.
In terms of the industrial chain, the billiards industry is continuously improving and upgrading. The injection of capital has promoted the industry to develop from a “small, scattered and chaotic” state to standardization and chain operation. Investments from institutions such as Sequoia Capital and Hillhouse have driven industry transformation. Against the background of consumption upgrading, new “billiards +” business forms are emerging, with traditional billiards halls transforming into multi-entertainment complexes. For example, some billiards halls in Shanghai have integrated light meals and live broadcast viewing areas, significantly increasing per capita consumption and repurchase rates.
Positive changes are also taking place on the manufacturing side, shifting from traditional processing to clustering and specialization. As a source manufacturer of billiards tables, SPKI’s products are sold to many countries and regions. It has a professional team from design to research and development, building a complete industrial chain of billiards supplies.
From the perspective of segmented markets, the billiards equipment and supplies market will maintain steady growth, with consumers’ demand for high-end and personalized products becoming increasingly prominent. The billiards hall market will continue to expand with consumption upgrading, while the billiards competition and training market has huge potential and is expected to become a new growth point of the industry.
Looking into the future, the billiards industry has a broad prospect. Technology will deeply empower the billiards industry, with intelligent hardware and data services continuously innovating the industry ecology. The number of unmanned self-service billiards halls will further increase, and user experience will be enhanced with the help of AI coaches and AI referees. As the consumption potential of third- and fourth-tier cities is released, the billiards market will further sink, and the industry ecology will continue to expand. It is estimated that by 2030, China’s billiards market scale is expected to reach 192.03 billion yuan. Under the background of the national fitness policy and the growing demand for leisure sports, the billiards industry will develop towards larger scale and higher quality, continuously writing new chapters.