In August 1994, the National Lottery Company informed the Department of Finance that it had entered into a reciprocal confidentiality agreement with a third party, the Vector Ogden Group, which had a proposal to build a complex in the old Phoenix Park Racecourse comprising an International Conference Centre and a casino. I understand that such an agreement was considered a necessary preliminary to the National Lottery Company's investigating with these promoters the prospects of the Company's involvement in the casino side of this operation. I am informed that this agreement was signed in July 1994 by An Post, the National Lottery Company, and Ogden Entertainment Services (Ireland) Ltd and that the agreement was effective from the date of its signing and had a termination date of 31 December 1994.
In February 1998, the Chairman of the National Lottery Company wrote to the Department of Finance about the Company's intention to go into a 12-month non-disclosure agreement with Sonas Centre Ltd, stating that Sonas had "expressed an interest in considering the NLC [the National Lottery Company] in some role in relation to casino gaming and for this to be evaluated by the parties, a non-disclosure agreement is necessary". Having considered the matter, and with the agreement of the then Minister, the Department replied in March 1998 informing the National Lottery Company that it would have no objection to the National Lottery Company's entering the agreement.