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.

State-owned company Veikkaus has a monopoly on gambling operations in the country – although in practice, many Finns gamble online, outside of that monopoly. Veikkaus distributes hundreds of millions of Euros each year to the Finnish Government, which is in turn distributed to a range of good causes.

The Government’s proposed liberalisation would allow other companies to apply for gambling licences, potentially starting in 2026, although Veikkaus would retain a monopoly on some games.

Last year, 9% of Finns took part in gambling activities which raise money for charity – with this activity particularly popular among those aged 45-79, according to VaLa data. In addition, 7% took part in nonprofit-organised ‘goods lotteries’, which are also regulated but are outside of the Veikkaus monopoly.

VaLa says that in its current form, the bill would not require a company applying for a licence to state how its profits would be used. The licensing process should be able to take into account whether profits will go to good causes, it argues, saying that lower risk forms of gambling such as lotteries can be an important form of fundraising.

The organisation also suggests that Finland should learn from the example of other European countries, such as Sweden – it created a special classification for charity lottery operators, which raise more than €140m annually.

A statement on VaLa’s website says:

“The reformed Gambling Act would be a genuine opportunity to create a structure that supports the financing of a diverse field of organisations, therefore contributing to wider society.”

Image by Veikkaus