Irish government to consider ban on lottery betting
Fianna Fáil aims to protect returns to good causes with all offenders having licenses revoked
Legislators in Ireland could potentially ban all forms of betting on the Irish National Lottery as a way of protecting its returns to charitable causes.
Lawmakers have introduced a private members bill, which aims “to overcome the threat to the Lottery Fund by prohibiting operators from taking bets on Lottery products.”
It calls such a prohibition “proportionate and reasonable in light of the public interest in preserving and protecting the Lottery Fund.
Operators offering betting on the Irish lottery include Lottoland, Multilotto, bet365, William Hill, Coral, and Boylesports.
In the Irish parliament, O’Callaghan said “The good cause fund, which produces 28% of all monies taken in by the lottery, is useful and for the public benefit. It is appropriate, therefore, that we deal with the threat to the moneys raised by the national lottery.
“We know from other jurisdictions, such as Australia, that the amount of funds available has decreased because of the operations of these unregulated offshore operators that allow betting on the outcome of the lottery.”
The bill also includes provisions by which a bookmakers licence to operate sports betting would be stripped if it were found to be offering betting on any lottery game.
O’Callaghan added: “I am fully aware that at present, the national lottery, like the old Irish hospital sweepstakes, is run by a private company. It is, however, different to other forms of gambling and lottery since it was established by the Oireachtas for the purpose of the public benefit.”
No objections were raised by attending members of parliament, so the bill has been permitted to advance to the next stage of the legislative process, which will see it printed and circulated to all MPs prior to a full discussion in parliament.
A spokesperson from the European Lotto Betting Association (ELBA) said: “ELBA will review the details of the upcoming Government’s Gambling Control Bill when it is released. We look forward to engaging with key stakeholders and Ministers about lotto betting and looking to dispel the myths being unfortunately peddled in the press.
“Suffice to say, as licensed remote bookmakers offering innovation in digital betting in the Irish market, we entirely refute any basis for restricting the markets we offer, whether these are lotto betting-related or any of the other many market types offered by the regulated betting industry.”
At present, the 28% of the funds generated from Irish national lottery sales paid to good causes in Ireland generates around €225m per year.