Ireland urged to follow Europe & stop €81m charity lottery loss

Charities Institute Ireland (CII) is urging a change to gambling laws in order to increase funding for charities and tax income for the Government.

Currently, gamblers can place bets on the outcome of the country’s state-licensed National Lottery at private bookmakers, rather than buying tickets for the lottery itself.

Because those bets are taken by private sector bookmakers, they do not contribute to the revenues of the Lottery, which has distributed more than €6.5bn to charities and good causes since it was established 39 years ago.

Research conducted for the National Lottery estimates that lottery betting takes €81m from charities each year, and links the practice to the loss of an estimated 1,929 jobs in the charity and retail sector, and €12.7m of government income.

Lottery betting is already banned in 25 of the 27 EU member states. The National Lottery is calling on the Irish government to follow suit.

Áine Myler, chief executive of EFA member CII, says:

“On behalf of our members and the wider sector, we support the National Lottery’s call to prohibit lottery betting in Ireland, as it diverts funding away from the causes the National Lottery is intended to support. CII has made numerous representations to government for this change to be implemented, and so we now urge the minister again to address this issue.”

The National Lottery’s recommendation is also supported by the Retail Grocery Dairy & Allied Trades Association.