BEIJING, March 27 (Xinhua) -- China's lottery ticket sales dropped by 0.9 percent year on year to 89.56 billion yuan (about 12.95 billion U.S. dollars) in the first two months of 2026, data from the Ministry of Finance showed on Friday.

Sales of lottery tickets that support the country's welfare system stood at 29.95 billion yuan during this period, down 6.6 percent from a year earlier.

Lottery ticket sales that are related to the sports industry rose 2.2 percent year on year to 59.61 billion yuan during the first two months of 2026, the ministry said.

In February alone, lottery tickets worth 34.31 billion yuan were sold nationwide, down 18 percent year on year.

The ministry attributed the decline in sales to a temporary suspension of lottery sales during the Spring Festival holiday.

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