Irish lottery’s contributions drop over last 10 years

A report showed that the national lottery cash for good causes has fallen by €43 million since 2008.

Ireland.- Despite some claiming that the opposition was undermining the Irish national lottery’s performance, a report showed that it has suffered a steep drop since 2008. The Assessment of the Online Gambling Market in Ireland explained that the lottery’s cash for good causes has fallen by €43 million over the last 10 years, and showed no evidence of responsibility by the competition.

The report was published by economist Jim Power in representation of Lottoland and Mylotto24, the main opposition for the national lottery. It showed that contributions have dropped 16% to €225 million last year, from €268 million in 2008.

According to Mr Power, it’s “factually incorrect” to blame licenced online lottery betting in Ireland for the financial results. “In fact, based on 2017 figures provided by the three leading European Lottery Betting Association members licensed and active in Ireland, their total combined draw-based betting turnover was only €1.4 million, 0.25% of the €559 million draw-based sales turnover achieved by Premier Lotteries Ireland in the same period,” he said.

“Moreover, increased competition in the digital channel is an essential aspect in achieving long-term sustainability for good-causes funding,” Mr Power explained and added: “Based on 2017 figures shared at Oireachtas committee hearings, the digital channel only accounted for 6.5% of National Lottery sales in Ireland compared to 19.5% in the UK.”