BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- China's lottery ticket sales decreased 5 percent year on year to 51.949 billion yuan (about 7.3 billion U.S. dollars) in July, data from the Ministry of Finance showed on Tuesday.

In July, lottery ticket sales that support the sports industry totaled 34.022 billion yuan, down 8.1 percent year on year, due to a high comparison base from last year when the European Championship boosted sports lottery sales, the ministry said.

Sales of lottery tickets that support the country's welfare system reached 17.928 billion yuan last month, marking an increase of 1.7 percent from a year earlier.

From January to July, about 369.8 billion yuan worth of lottery tickets were sold nationwide, marking a year-on-year increase of 1.8 percent.

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