Fears of creating ‘online Lotto junkies’ raised by senator

Fears that the National Lottery is setting out to create "online Lotto junkies" have been expressed by Fine Gael Seanad whip Paul Coghlan.

He said that a series of interruptions in National Lottery services cold also play a part in driving people into online gambling.

“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,” said Senator Coghlan.

He said this was particularly the case as an online national lottery account would allow a customer to play up to €75 per day on its games and to keep €750 on account.

“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,” he added

Senator Coghlan said the recent interruptions to the National Lottery services highlighted the potential for increased online gambling.

“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.”

Senator Coghlan said he would be seeking commitments on the matter from the operator of the National Lottery and the Regulator at the Oireachtas Finance Committee next week."

Fianna Fáil spokesman on Public Expenditure Seán Fleming called on the Regulator to outline what action has been taken to resolve a number of recent problems with the National Lottery.

“Consumers have been hit by a litany of problems with the National Lottery in recent months. From the first ever cancellation of a jackpot, to machines in shops cutting out for an unacceptable length of time, to consumers being unable to scan their tickets on self-service terminals to see if they won,” said Mr Fleming.

“I am concerned that what used to be a strong brand, which enjoyed much public confidence, is at serious risk of being damaged,” he said.

Mr Fleming added that the role and remit of the new Regulator was still shrouded in mystery and people were wondering what exactly he had been doing while these technical failures have taken place.

“The Regulator and the operators are appearing before the Oireachtas Finance Committee next week following my request. They have a number of questions to answer about what action has been taken to address the technical blunders that have plagued the lotto recently.”