BEIJING, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- China's lottery sales rose 11.8 percent year on year to 38.56 billion yuan (about 5.82 billion U.S. dollars) in November, according to the Ministry of Finance.

Sales of welfare lottery tickets increased 8.6 percent year on year to 19.4 billion yuan last month, while sports lottery sales went up 15.2 percent to 19.15 billion yuan, the ministry said.

Last month, 27 provincial-level regions saw growth in lottery sales, driven by strong sales in Jiangsu, Anhui, Guangdong, Hunan provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, according to the ministry.

In the first 11 months, lottery sales went up 8.1 percent to 386.99 billion yuan, with sales of welfare lottery tickets and sports lottery tickets increasing 5.3 percent and 11.1 percent, respectively.

Under lottery management rules, money from lottery ticket sales must cover administrative fees, public welfare projects and prize money.