An anti-gambling Oireachtas senator has told organisers of the National Lottery that their TV adverts should be suspended from early evening advertising slots because underage individuals were unfairly affected by them.
The aforementioned claim was made by the Irish Member of Parliament, who has been insisting on the establishment of a 9:00 PM watershed for Lotto draws and ads so that they are not seen by children during the daytime. The campaigner claims that the draw of the Irish National Lottery, which the national broadcaster RTÉ has been airing at the same time since 1988 during its family night movie, should be delayed and aired after the proposed 9:00 PM watershed.
Senator Mark Wall from the Labour Party shared that, in his opinion, it was unacceptable for the national broadcaster to interrupt family time on Saturday night when both children and adults sit down to watch a movie with the Lotto draw. According to him, airing the draws at a later time is absolutely fine.
He urged both the RTÉ and the Lotto to start airing the National Lotto draws at a later time than they currently do as a measure to protect vulnerable people and underage individuals against the potential negative effects of gambling and gambling-related harm.
Oireachtas Senator Proposes Implementation of 9:00 PM Watershed for Lotto Draws and Adverts on TV
Senator Wall also finds it unacceptable for parents to have to explain to their children, some of whom are as young as 6 years old, what gambling is after them seeing various gambling ads aired on TV channels.
He further reminded that the Government has been working on legislation aimed at regulating that but noted that the new legislative and regulatory framework could not be produced quick enough. Senator Wall also said that no child should be exposed to gambling and making local broadcasters postpone the gambling advertising and Lotto draws would be a much quicker, and most importantly, efficient measure for the time being.
The national broadcaster responded to criticism by saying that RTÉ has been involved in the prevention of problem gambling and the negative consequences of excessive gambling by regularly covering issues linked to the problem in various plotlines in Fair City, an award-winning drama. The company, however, did not reveal the exact revenue it received from advertisers that promote gambling products on its platforms.
The National Lottery, in its turn, also did not unveil the amount spent on advertising its products with RTÉ.
Recently, Lotto officials told the finance committee of the Oireachtas that unclaimed prize money worth €90 million was spent on advertising in the period from 2015 to 2020. In December 2021, the Irish Parliament heard that the entire amount of unclaimed prizes must be used as funding for the National Lottery’s promotion under the provisions of the operating licence held by its current operator, Premier Lotteries Ireland.
This week, the Lottery has defended its practices, saying that it currently has one of the best player-protection systems available. It cited the enforcement of some spending limits on its players, the prohibition on Lotto ticket sales between 11:00 PM and 7:00 AM, as well as its contributions to good causes which have been estimated to be €289 million to date. Apart from that, the National Lottery defended its policies, saying that its targets only adults with its marketing campaigns and is subject to monitoring by the local regulatory body.
- Author
Daniel Williams
