China lottery sales grow faster in Nov

BEIJING - Sales of lottery tickets saw faster growth last month, rising 12.8 percent year on year to 23.71 billion yuan ($3.76 billion), the Ministry of Finance said Thursday.

The increase came after sluggish performance in previous months, with growth of less than 10 percent since August, data from the ministry showed.

The ministry attributed the rebound to increasing numbers of both sales outlets and sporting events, as well as expanding video lottery sales.

Sales of welfare lottery tickets climbed 8.5 percent year on year to 12.87 billion yuan in November, while sports lottery ticket sales increased 18.5 percent to 10.84 billion yuan, according to the ministry.

In the first 11 months, lottery ticket sales totaled 234.72 billion yuan, 17.9 percent more than a year earlier.

The money raised through lotteries is divided into three parts in China under the country's regulations on lottery management: the jackpot, lottery management fees and public lottery funds.