China's lottery ticket sales increased 11.7 percent year over year in March, topping 55.6 billion yuan (about 7.8 billion U.S. dollars), according to data from the Ministry of Finance.
Sales of
lottery tickets to support the welfare system reached 18.88 billion yuan in March, a 22.4 percent year-on-year surge.
Lottery tickets sold to support the sports sector rose 6.9 percent year on year to 36.72 billion yuan.
In the first three months, lottery ticket sales surged 19.7 percent year on year to 149.47 billion yuan, the data showed.
Under China's lottery management rules, funds raised from ticket sales are used for administrative expenses, public welfare projects, and to fund prizes.
