Committee of Public Accounts to examine National Lottery Fund 2021 and C&AG’s Report on ticket sales with National Lottery Regulator

The meeting at 9.30am in Committee Room 3 of Leinster House will be joined by the Comptroller and Auditor General, Seamus McCarthy, the Regulator of the National Lottery, Ms Carol Boate, and her colleagues, and officials from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

The meeting will also examine Chapter 19: Exchequer receipts from National Lottery ticket sales from the C&AG’s Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2021. Areas of interest include expired unclaimed prizes of €124 million forfeited in favour of the operator between 2015 and 2021, with 98 per cent of this spent on marketing and 2 per cent spent on top-up prizes.

During the afternoon session, beginning at 1.30pm, the Committee will consider correspondence and other business of the Committee.

Committee Cathaoirleach Deputy Brian Stanley said: “The National Lottery is the State-licensed lottery and was established in 1986 to raise funds for good causes. Until 2014, it was operated by An Post National Lottery Company, when Premier Lotteries Ltd, whose shareholders comprise An Post, An Post Pension Funds, and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, was awarded a 20-year licence to operate the National Lottery. Since its inception, the National Lottery has raised more than €6 billion for good causes.

“The National Lottery Fund is managed and controlled by the Office of the Regulator of the National Lottery. A key function of the Regulator is to ensure that Exchequer revenues from the National Lottery are maximised and that they are transferred to the Exchequer in a timely way. These receipts are used to fund or part fund good causes. In 2021, almost €290 million was transferred to the Exchequer.

“Between 2015 and 2021, €124m of expired unclaimed prizes have been forfeited in favour of the Operator. By the end of 2021, almost €122m has been utilised for the promotion of the National Lottery and/or the Lottery games with just €2m used to top-up prizes. Areas of interest to the Committee include the Regulator’s position regarding the Operator’s use of unclaimed prizes, why this matter was reported by the C&AG and not the Regulator, and the level of information detailed in the Regulator’s financial statements. The Committee looks forward to examining these and related matters with Ms Boate and her colleagues.”

The meeting in Committee Room 3 can be viewed live on Oireachtas TV.

PAC is a standing committee of Dáil Éireann which focuses on ensuring public services are run efficiently and achieve value for money. Further information on the role and remit of the Committee can be found here.

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.