China’s lottery ticket sales reached 34.48 billion yuan (regarding $4.86 billion) in August, up 5.7 percent year on year, according to data released by the Ministry of Finance.
Lottery ticket sales aimed at supporting the social welfare system stood at 12.67 billion yuan in August, up 10.7 percent from a year earlier.
Sales of lottery tickets to support the sports industry reached 21.81 billion yuan, up 3.1 percent year on year.
In the first eight months, China’s lottery ticket sales reached 247.91 billion yuan, up 0.2 percent from the same period last year, the data showed.
According to the country’s lottery management rules, revenue from ticket sales covers administration costs, social welfare projects and prizes for winners.