China's welfare lottery sales this year hit a record 90.4 billion yuan (US$13.5 billion) as of Sunday, 19.4 percent more than last year, the Welfare Lottery Distribution and Management Center said Monday.

The lottery raised more than 28.3 billion yuan for public welfare, an increase of 15 percent from last year, the center's statistics showed. Half the funds for public welfare go to China's treasury, while the other half are managed by local governments. The funds are then allocated to social welfare and charity causes.

Computerized lottery sales accounted for 75 percent of the total, up 11.6 percent year on year.

China's welfare lottery started in 1987, when the Civil Affairs Ministry was authorized by the State Council, the Cabinet, to raise welfare funds through lottery sales.

(Xinhua News Agency December 14, 2010)