BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhua) -- China's lottery ticket sales rose 4.7 percent year on year to 58.22 billion yuan (about 8.08 billion U.S. dollars) in March, data from the Ministry of Finance showed on Friday.

Sales of lottery tickets to support the country's welfare system reached 19.2 billion yuan last month, marking an increase of 1.7 percent from a year earlier.

Lottery ticket sales to support the sports industry rose 6.2 percent year on year to 39.01 billion yuan during the period, the ministry said.

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