The Irish lottery regulator has backed raising concerns associated with betting on the outcome of lottery draws over the Internet, in spite of the fact that the practice has not been illegal.
As the Irish Examiner revealed, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) has refused to respond to an inquiry made by the local media, which wanted to know whether it was suitable that the watchdog should be engaged with legal competition to the industry it regulates.
At the time when a meeting was held between Carol Boate, the Regulator of the National Lottery (RNL), and the DPER officials in November 2018, Ms Boate told the Department’s officials that online gambling operators which take wagers on the outcome of Ireland’s National Lottery could be a threat to the viability and profitability of the National Lottery in the long term.
Paschal Donohoe, the Irish Finance Minister has recently referred to the issue at a Dáil meeting. He explained at the time that there did not seem to be any actual evidence that Internet betting on Lottery draws’ outcome is affecting the Lotto’s business in the country. When the Irish Examiner addressed the Regulator’s spokesperson for more information about the concerns it shared during the above-mentioned meeting, they repeatedly refused to reveal more information on the matter, saying such decision must be taken by the Department itself.
Betting on the Outcome of Lotto Draws Could Hurt National Lottery’s Sustainability in the Long Term
Still, some information of the issue was provided to the media under the Freedom of Information Act, just to confirm the fact that betting on the outcome of lotto draws is currently legal under the existing gambling legislation of the country. According to data which was then made public, the operators that target Irish customers are to date relatively few in number and represent a very small fraction of the local gambling sector.
The concerns have been fuelled by Ms Boate’s fears that such operations could increase their market presence very quickly and start attracting customers by using certain selling techniques which the National Lottery’s operator is not allowed to take part in. According to the regulator of the Irish National Lottery, the more people decide to place wagers on the outcome of lotto draws instead of buying a ticket of the National Lottery, the more negative effects would be brought on the National Lottery sales and jackpots. This would also equal smaller returns to good causes, which could directly affect the more vulnerable members of society.
Ms Boate believes that this could result in operators seeking to enter direct competition with the Irish National Lottery by providing customers with the chance to place wagers on their own lottery draws offering their own jackpots, with such draws taking place outside the country’s and regulator’s jurisdiction. Currently, it is the regulator that is entitled with the responsibility to make sure that the lottery remains sustainable.
- Author
Olivia Cole
