Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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124. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he has engaged with the operators of the national lottery or the regulator of the national lottery in the context of gambling addiction in the past five years to date. [20310/23]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department engages regularly with the Office of the Regulator of the National Lottery on all aspects of the National Lottery. Part of the Regulator’s remit relates to monitoring the operation of the National Lottery and enforcing compliance with the National Lottery Act 2013 and the Licence to operate the National Lottery, currently held by Premier Lotteries Ireland (PLI). The Regulator carries out its function with a view to ensuring the interests of National Lottery participants are protected. The National Lottery Act 2013 and the Licence agreement between the Operator and the State include a suite of requirements to protect players and prevent problem gaming that must be adhered to by the Operator.

The requirements in relation to player welfare provided for in the Act, the Licence (including Codes made under it) and in schemes of games approved under the Licence, are best understood within the framework of a public health model of preventing avoidable harm. Primary Prevention measures involve preventing and delaying National Lottery play by minors, limits on product availability, and transparent and informative consumer communications. Secondary Prevention is focused on screening and monitoring for problems, including during game design, and early interventions with players before indicators of potential player harm translate into problem gambling. Tertiary prevention is concerned with preventing further or ongoing harm to those already showing signs of problem gambling and includes measures like screening and interventions, self-exclusion support and treatment services. The legal framework imposes a range of requirements and the Operator of the National Lottery must expend resources to ensure that requirements are met.