BEIJING -- Lottery sales rose 22.3 percent year on year to reach 168.97 billion yuan ($26.82 billion) during the first eight months of 2012, the Ministry of Finance said Friday.

In August alone, sales increased 5 percent from a year earlier to 19.71 billion yuan, according to a statement posted on the ministry's website.

Welfare lottery ticket sales reached 99.24 billion yuan during the first eight months, up 22.7 percent year on year, while sales of sports lottery tickets gained 21.9 percent from one year earlier to 69.73 billion yuan.

All Chinese provincial-level regions with the exception of Beijing reported year-on-year gains in lottery sales during the January-August period, according to the statement.

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