Barry Ward (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise the issue of the national lottery. We know that the national lottery provides a number of different products, from the lotto to scratch cards. What is very important is that it also provides a social dividend for the people of Ireland. Approximately 28 cent out of every €1 that is spent on national lottery products in Ireland goes back into a good causes fund that benefits communities and people throughout the country. That is very important. It is not true to say that of gambling companies or private gambling outfits in the State. Similarly, the national lottery has in place protocols to protect people who play its games, who cannot gamble after a certain time and cannot spend more than a certain amount of money every day, which is very important.

Unfortunately, some private gambling and bookmaking outfits in Ireland now use national lottery products to piggyback for the purposes of allowing people to bet on the outcome of the national lottery. With that, there is no positive outcome for the taxpayer or the country. We must prevent profiteering by those private gambling organisations which are piggybacking on the national lottery infrastructure without providing that same social dividend for the citizens and people of Ireland. While the national lottery funds innovation, community organisations and local projects throughout this country, private bookmakers make no such altruistic contribution. Important national and local funding is provided by the national lottery to sports, arts and culture, health and well-being, heritage, community and youth organisations.

It makes no sense to me that we should continue to allow those private organisations to profit from the lotto and other products that are put in place by the national lottery. I will be introducing the national lottery (amendment) Bill 2021, which will make it an offence for a profit-driven bookmaker to hitch a free ride with the licensed and regulated national lottery. The Bill will also extend the provisions of the National Lottery Act 2013 to increase penalties and allow the prosecution of corporate entities, as well as individuals.

We recognise that the national lottery provides a service, that it does so under licence and does so with a social dividend. That is the way it should be. Let us make sure it is used for that purpose alone, rather than for the profit of private individuals.