BEIJING, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- China's total lottery ticket sales amounted to 579.7 billion yuan (about 81.64 billion U.S. dollars) in 2023, up 36.5 percent year on year, data from the Ministry of Finance showed.

Sales of lottery tickets to support the country's welfare system reached 194.44 billion yuan last year, an increase of 31.3 percent from a year earlier, the data revealed.

Lottery ticket sales to support the sports industry grew 39.3 percent year on year to about 385.26 billion yuan, the ministry said.

Lottery ticket sales fell in December 2023, dropping by 13.8 percent year on year to 53.28 billion yuan.

China's lottery management rules stipulate that funds raised from ticket sales must be used for administrative expenses and public welfare projects, and to fund prizes. 

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