Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 December 2019
139. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the practice of issuing receipts for national lottery tickets checked in retail outlets has commenced; when this practice commenced or will commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53471/19]
View answerI am informed by the Office of the National Lottery Regulator (ONRL) that the practice of issuing receipts for winning tickets checked by a retail agent has been in place since Premier Lotteries Ireland (PLI) took over as operator of the National Lottery in November 2014.
All National Lottery terminals automatically print two prize payment receipts when winning tickets are validated for payment; one for the retail agent to retain for reconciliation purposes and one that must be presented to the player along with their winnings. This applies to both Draw Based Game tickets and Scratch Cards. I am advised that the operator regularly reminds retail agents of the requirement to issue prize payment receipts to players.
When a ticket that is not a winner is presented to a retail agent for checking, the National Lottery terminal will display a ‘Not a Winner’ message on the terminal screen. While retailers always had the option to print a corresponding receipt for the player, since 23 September 2019 the ‘Not a Winner’ receipt prints automatically and should be given to the player along with the return of the original non-winning ticket.
