Irish lottery loses ground to iGaming sites

The National Lottery’s share of the market continues to be reduced as new online gambling products emerge.

Ireland.- The online gaming market has allowed new products to gain presence and reach customers all around the globe. However, the segment’s potential has also taken its toll on Ireland’s National Lottery’s share of the local market, which has been reduced at the same time its counterpart grows.

Indecon conducted a study commissioned by the National Lottery and found out that the body currently holds only 13% of the state’s €5.6 billion betting and lottery market. In 2008 sales reached a peak of €840 million but have struggled ever since. However, the lottery managed to recover from only €670 million in 2015 to more than €800 million last year.

According to National Lottery chief executive, Dermot Griffin, operators such as Lottoland and jackpot.com have been “syphoning off” revenue from its business and from the good causes it funds. Nonetheless, both Lottoland and MyLotto24 replied through a statement saying the idea that online betting was undermining good causes funding, saying it was “grossly misleading” and a “red herring” to deflect attention from questions about operator Premier Lotteries Ireland’s business model.

“As today’s report has proven, yet again, there is no evidence that the existence of greater consumer choice which online betting facilitates is in any way undermining good causes funding in Ireland, ” the statement said. “However, regrettably, PLI continues to use this red herring as a way to deflect attention away from serious questions it should really be addressing about the threat that its own business model poses to the long-term future of good causes funding,” it added.