BEIJING, -- The Ministry of Finance has announced that China's lottery sales rose 32.7 percent year-on-year to 138.12 billion yuan ($21.58 billion) during the first eight months of the year.

Of the lottery boom, sales of welfare lottery tickets gained 33.4 percent from one year earlier to reach 80.9 billion yuan, while sales of sports lottery tickets climbed 31.7 percent to hit 57.22 billion yuan during the same period, according to a statement posted on the ministry's website.

In August alone, sales of welfare lottery tickets rose 31.6 percent, while sales of sports lottery tickets increased 48.1 percent, partly due to the country's expanding sales network.

The statement said 31 provincial-level regions reported year-on-year gains in lottery sales during the first eight months. The biggest increase was recorded by East China's Jiangsu province, where sales rose by 4.59 billion yuan over the same period last year.

According to China's Regulations on Lottery Management, the money raised through lotteries is divided into three parts: the jackpot, lottery management fees, and lottery public funds.