BEIJING — China's lottery sales came in at 34.78 billion yuan (about $5.1 billion) in August, up 2 percent from the same period last year, data from the Ministry of Finance (MOF) showed.

Sales of welfare lottery tickets dropped 9.3 percent year-on-year to 13.25 billion yuan in August, while sports lottery sales gained 10.5 percent to 21.53 billion yuan, the MOF said.

In the first eight months, lottery sales amounted to 194.82 billion yuan, down 30.3 percent year-on-year.

Under China's lottery management rules, money from ticket sales is used for administrative expenses, public welfare projects and prize winnings.