Irish National Lottery calls for ban on bookmakers taking bets on its draws

(AsiaGameHub) –   The operator states that lottery betting results in €289m annually in lost ticket sales.

Ireland.- The Irish National Lottery is calling on the Government to take action against bookmakers that offer bets on its draws. The operator, FDJ United’s Premier Lotteries Ireland, contends that this practice is negatively impacting its business and causing it to lose approximately €289m per year in potential ticket sales.

Premier Lotteries reports that without the secondary lottery betting market, it could have allocated an additional €81m to community initiatives in sectors like sport and the arts in 2024. A report examining the lottery’s socioeconomic impact references research indicating that wagers totaling €828m were placed with bookmakers on lottery draws last year. The report also suggests that 35 per cent of individuals who bet in this manner would have purchased official tickets if that option had not been available.

Premier Lotteries Ireland asserts that this regulatory oversight gap diminishes the value of its licence by an estimated €118m to €250m. An economic study conducted by consultancy Indecon estimates that retailers experience a loss of around €238m in sales due to lottery betting, which translates to 1,929 fewer jobs and €12.7m in lost tax revenue.

Chief executive Cian Murphy informed The Irish Times that the parallel lottery betting market is “only slightly smaller than the actual draw” and operates within a “grey zone,” being tolerated despite not being clearly legal or illegal.

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With the new Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland preparing to issue the first new Irish gambling licences, Murphy expresses concern that the practice could soon be legitimized. He warned that the rise of online gambling might lead to legalisation encouraging operators to expand further through investments in marketing and new products.

“We are concerned that they will legalise it,” he stated, noting that the UK and 25 out of 27 EU member states have already prohibited such betting through legislation or regulation.

“The legal advice we have for Ireland is that either of those routes will be robust. We are not being prescriptive on how it needs to be banned, but we believe it needs to be banned.”

Despite the competition from lottery betting, the report found that the Irish lottery still generated €2.1bn in economic output in 2024 and contributed €239.3m to good causes. Retail sales amounted to €700m. Previous attempts to curb secondary markets have been made, including a 2018 bill introduced by Jim O’Callaghan, who was then Fianna Fáil’s justice spokesman and is now the Minister for Justice.