Put ban on bookies betting on National Lottery in Gambling Bill: RGDATA urges Minister Donohoe
RGDATA has written to Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform Paschal Donohoe urging him to include a ban on licensed bookmakers taking bets on the National Lottery which is estimated to be taking over €50 million in fees from registered retail agents.
In its correspondence to the Minister, RGDATA was clear in its position.
“RGDATA represents over 3,000 retailers who collectively form the largest part of the retail agent
network for the National Lottery. Our members, as community-based retailers have played a
central part in the success of the National Lottery since 1987,” wrote Director Tara Buckley.
“The National Lottery is very important to our members not just in the context of the commission
and footfall that it generates, but particularly for the positive contribution that Good Causes
funding makes to their local communities across a whole range of areas and activities. The
whole intent behind the National Lottery was to generate money for Good Causes without resort
to taxation and this has largely been achieved with over €6bn raised since 1987.
“When Ireland established the National Lottery in the 1980’s we were a laggard internationally in
not having a State Lottery to generate money for Good Causes. Despite the good work and
positive contribution of the National Lottery, Ireland remains behind the curve internationally in
facilitating bookies taking bets on National Lottery draws. In most EU states (17 States) as well
as the UK, Australia, South Africa and Canada, this practice is banned. And there are excellent
public policy reasons why it is banned – not just the erosion of funding for Good Causes, but
also the creation of “Lead In risk”, where a low risk, broad participation and regulated gambling
product is placed in environments where much more harmful gambling is taking place. It is for
this reason that gambling addiction charities want Lottery Betting to be banned in Ireland as it
increases the chances of people using Lottery Betting as a gateway to more addictive forms of
gambling” the letter continued,
RGDATA accepts that members and other National Lottery agents have a vested interest in seeing Lottery Betting being banned in Ireland.
“However, if a ban on Lottery Betting resulted in more money being raised for Good Causes, less people being exposed to problem gambling environments and the cessation of a blatant undermining of the National Lottery brand, surely these are benefits worth achieving.”
