BEIJING -- China's lottery sales rose 25.2 percent year on year to 32.25 billion yuan ($5.3 billion) in September, new data showed on Wednesday.

Sales of welfare lottery tickets rose 19.6 percent year on year to 17.47 billion yuan last month, while sports lottery sales rose 32.5 percent to 14.78 billion yuan, the Ministry of Finance said in a statement.

In the first nine months of 2014, total lottery sales stood at 279.4 billion yuan, up 24.5 percent from a year earlier.

Money raised through the lottery is used for the jackpot, management fees and public welfare under China's lottery management rules.

Last year, total lottery sales topped 309 billion yuan, up 18.3 percent year on year, the ministry's data showed.

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