Tom Shehan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I have reservations about this Bill. There are no specific amounts in the Minister's information. The lotto has raised €4 billion in 26 years. Gross turnover last year was more than €700 million. Be it true or just speculation, it is expected that the national lottery licence will be sold for 20 years for an up-front payment of approximately €500 million. Let the Minister correct me if I am wrong. That does not make good business sense. When the country was going down the tubes during the last Administration a plethora of economists offered their opinions. I am surprised that I have not heard any of these eminent economists offering an opinion on the sale of the national lottery.
Will we get the best achievable deal for the country? Speaking to some so-called experts in this field, they believe there is only one realistic customer for the national lottery. I will not name him in case it does me any harm. While there will be a process, and it is open to anyone to apply for that licence, realistically is there only one customer for the national lottery? If that is the case, I say "Halt" now because we will not get a good deal. I hope the Minister of State can inform me and the House to the contrary but that is the information I have.

I want to see the national children's hospital. It is a disgrace that it has not been built. The term “selling the family silver” has been bandied around. We are not selling it. It is a 20-year lease and the €500 million will build the children's hospital. When the new operator comes in, a regulator must be put in place. I am led to believe that the regulations that should be put on the company coming in to buy this should be water-tight. There is a fear out there that they will put gambling in people's faces every day of the week. This is a business exercise by the company that will take this over and it will do whatever it must to make it profitable, and it will milk it for all it is worth, online and everything else.
I understand it has to go to competition but have all the avenues been looked at for the State not to hold the national lottery? Let the Government, in a meaningful, controlled manner explore other avenues of revenue for the lotto. I use that word “explore” because I am afraid if we sell the licence for 20 years it will be exploited.End of Take

I am afraid of that. I am not a regular purchase of lotto tickets but the statistics highlight that many of those who play lotto cannot afford it. Those in the lower socioeconomic bands spend the most on the lottery. Protection needs to be provided and I am afraid that if the State sells the national lottery licence to a business, it will be exploited.