Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The position seems to be that the activity has escalated very significantly in recent times and that people are in effect betting on the national lottery. They are betting on the outcome of these draws using these bet on lottery products through these operators who are licensed, it would appear, but are unregulated and are offshore. It does present a potential loss of revenue for the regulated operator and also a potential loss of revenue for the good causes which benefit from the consumer spending in the regulated area. I know it is not directly within the remit of the regulator but is indirectly relevant in that it affects the operator that is being regulated by her. There is no handle on the quantum of the money or the preponderance of these operators in the market. There are 15 of them, for example, Jackpot.com, Lottoland, and Play Lottery Online. They are clearly masquerading as being the lottery.