BEIJING, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry of Finance announced Wednesday lottery sales in China rose 33.9 percent year-on-year to 178.09 billion yuan (27.96 billion U.S. dollars) in the first 10 months this year.

Sales of welfare lottery tickets gained 33.2 percent from one year earlier to reach 103.07 billion yuan, while sales of sports lottery tickets climbed 34.8 percent to 75.03 billion yuan in the same period, the ministry said in a statement on its official website.

In October, sales of welfare lottery tickets rose 30.5 percent, while sales of sports lottery tickets increased 42.5 percent.

The ministry said 31 provincial-level administrative areas posted year-on-year gains in lottery sales during the January-October period, with Jiangsu, Shandong, Guangdong, Zhejiang and Beijing leading the growth.

The Regulations on Lottery Management rules that the money raised through lotteries is divided into three parts: the jackpot, lottery management fees, and lottery public funds. Enditem