BEIJING, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- China sold nearly 627.97 billion yuan (about 90 billion U.S. dollars) worth of lottery tickets last year, up 0.7 percent year on year, data from the Ministry of Finance showed on Thursday.

Sales of lottery tickets that support the country's welfare system reached 208.58 billion yuan in 2025, marking an increase of 0.3 percent from a year earlier.

Lottery ticket sales related to the sports industry rose 0.9 percent year on year to 419.39 billion yuan, the data revealed.

In December 2025, lottery tickets worth 52.35 billion yuan were sold nationwide, down 9.1 percent year on year.

Under China's lottery management rules, funds raised from ticket sales are allocated to administrative expenses, public welfare projects and the funding of prizes. ■