BEIJING — China’s lottery sales rose 25.1 percent year-on-year to 47.96 billion yuan ($7.2 billion) in January, according to the Ministry of Finance (MOF).

Sales of welfare lottery tickets edged up 9.7 percent from a year ago to 21.22 billion yuan, while sports lottery sales jumped 40.8 percent to 26.74 billion yuan, the MOF said in a statement.

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

Twenty-seven provincial regions posted year-on-year sales increases in January, with Sichuan, Jiangsu and Shandong leading the sales growth.

China’s total lottery sales in 2018 stood at 511.47 billion yuan, up 19.9 percent year-on-year.