Irish Lottery Regulator Accused of Ignoring Gambling Risks in Recent Report

After a recent academic study, the Office of the Regulator of the National Lottery (ORNL) has been accused of paying limited attention to minors who engage in buying lottery tickets.

The study looked at reports from the Office of the Regulator of the National Lottery (ORNL) between 2014-2024, and claimed that the National Lottery has marketed itself as more entertainment rather than a gambling product. 

The authors claimed this neglects the negative aspects of gambling and fails to address responsible gambling as a message. The specific language and terminology used to characterise the National Lottery focused more on how players can win prizes, rather than how gambling can cause addiction.   

The study also raised concerns that underage gambling receives limited attention, backed by the ORNL’s report from 2024, revealing that underage mystery shoppers got away with buying a scratch card.

In response to the study, the ORNL stated that its annual reports are corporate governance documents and that their language reflects statutory and licensing requirements.

With this statement in mind, Irish players can expect a change in the advertising of the National Lottery, alongside tighter restrictions on identity verification upon purchasing tickets. A greater emphasis on the issues gambling can cause could be seen in the future, alongside finding yourself asked for your ID every time you buy a lottery ticket. Ultimately, this is a positive development for Irish players, as both of these outcomes help protect players from the darker side of gambling.