BEIJING, June 28 -- China's lottery ticket sales fell 4.8 percent year on year to 47.62 billion yuan (about 6.68 billion U.S. dollars) in May, data from the Ministry of Finance showed on Friday.

Sales of lottery tickets to support the country's welfare system reached 17.06 billion yuan in May, an increase of 4.1 percent from a year earlier.

Lottery ticket sales to support the sports industry dipped 9.1 percent year on year to 30.56 billion yuan, the ministry said.

The decline in lottery sales in May was partly due to the decrease in high-level sporting events and the high comparison base last year, according to the ministry.

In the first five months of this year, sales of lottery tickets in China totaled 252.54 billion yuan, up 12.2 percent year on year.

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