BEIJING, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- China's lottery ticket sales rose 1.5 percent year on year to 476.14 billion yuan (about 67.13 billion U.S. dollars) in the first nine months of the year, data from the Ministry of Finance showed on Friday.

Sales of lottery tickets that support the country's welfare system reached 159.75 billion yuan in the first nine months, marking an increase of 1.5 percent from a year earlier.

Lottery ticket sales that are related to the sports industry rose 1.5 percent year on year to 316.39 billion yuan during the period, the ministry said.

In September, 52.9 billion yuan worth of lottery tickets were sold nationwide, up 2.8 percent year on year.

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