China's lottery sales up 11.3 pct in October

BEIJING -- China's lottery sales rose 11.3 percent year on year to 37.65 billion yuan ($about 5.7 billion) in October, according to the Ministry of Finance.

Sales of welfare lottery tickets increased 5.8 percent year on year to 18.31 billion yuan last month, while sports lottery sales went up 17.1 percent to 19.34 billion yuan, the ministry said.

Last month, 29 provincial-level regions saw growth in lottery sales, driven by strong sales in Hunan, Guangdong, Anhui, Jiangxi and Chongqing, according to the ministry.

In the first 10 months, lottery sales went up 7.7 percent to 348.43 billion yuan, while sales of welfare lottery tickets and sports lottery tickets increased 4.9 percent and 10.7 percent respectively.

Under lottery management rules, money from lottery ticket sales must cover administrative fees, public welfare projects and prize money.