BEIJING — China's lottery ticket sales reached 31.98 billion yuan (about $4.74 billion) in June, down 7.6 percent year-on-year, data from the Ministry of Finance showed.

Sales of lottery tickets to support the welfare system came in at 13.08 billion yuan in June, up 16.5 percent from a year ago, the data showed.

Lottery tickets sold to support the sports industry stood at 18.9 billion yuan, down 19.2 percent year-on-year.

In the first six months, China's lottery ticket sales totaled 182.06 billion yuan, rising 2 percent year-on-year, according to the ministry.

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