Increased risk of online gambling due to National Lottery interruptions – Coghlan

Fine Gael Senator for Kerry and Government Chief Whip in the Seanad, Paul Coghlan, speaking in the Seanad today, has highlighted the increased risk of online gambling as a result of recent interruptions to the National Lottery services.

“The National Lottery has seen three outages or interruptions in recent weeks including the cancellation of one draw. I am concerned about the impact that these interruptions may have and that they may drive lotto players away from ticket terminals in shops towards the online environment.

“The new operators of the National Lottery have made it clear that they see huge potential in growing the online sales channel, but there is no doubt that the potential for irresponsible playing is greater online than in a face to face environment in shops.

“This is particularly the case when you consider that the online national lottery account allows a customer to play up to €75 per day on National Lottery games and to keep €750 on account with the National Lottery. These are inordinate amounts of money for people to be spending on a state owned form of gambling.

“We need assurances from the operators of the National Lottery that they will introduce controls to ensure that we do not create online Lotto junkies. These controls also need to be overseen by the National Lottery Regulator.

“I will be seeking commitments on the matter from the operator of the National Lottery and the National Lottery Regulator at the Oireachtas Finance Committee next week.”