China's sports lottery developed rapidly last year thanks to increased enthusiasm for international sports events such as the World Cup in Brazil and the growing popularity of online betting,

According to the Ministry of Finance, sports lottery sales grew 32.8 percent year-on-year to 176.41 billion yuan ($28.38 billion), well ahead of industry expectations of 100 billion yuan, accounting for nearly half of China's total lottery sales, which increased 23.6 percent from the previous year to 382.38 billion yuan. The number of people buying sports lottery tickets also increased.

"Large international sport events, including the World Cup, became major factors in boosting sales of lotteries, especially via the Internet," said Xie Liang, a veteran sports commentator with Radio Guangdong.