The annual report released by Ireland’s National Lottery regulator on Wednesday revealed that Lottery operator Premier Lotteries Ireland (PLI) violated the terms of its license in 2021 by contacting a group of players who had opted out of its games According to The Irish Times, although Ireland’s National Lottery regulator believed PLI had indeed violated its license terms by permitting communications to occur, since the company had taken immediate action to remedy the situation, no further action was needed. Moreover it did not benefit from this blunder. Undoubtedly, such a mistake should taken heed of by other operators within the gambling industry. Bookmaker and online casinos also have to follow very strict regulations and if caught flouting them; penalties can very hefty, enough to put the operator out of business. NoDepositFriend.com, the Ireland’s most popular no deposit bonus site, noted how VideoSlots nearly closed down due to such infringements.

Time Lag in Operator’s Systems

The operator identified the problem on its own, according to the report. A time lag in the system caused 48 players who had previously self-excluded themselves from playing National Lottery games to receive marketing messages up to 36 hours before to play again. The regulator said that none of the 48 players was able to play games during the period of self-exclusion; since the suspension of play took immediate effect. PLI subsequently ensured that marketing messages would be terminated following self-exclusion in real time as a result of the measures taken.

Time Lag in Operator’s Systems

As stated by The Irish Times, the regulator determined that Premier Lotteries had violated its license by allowing the communications to happen; however, since the company had moved to correct the issue and gained no benefit from it; no further action was considered necessary. It is a key objective to ensure that players of National Lottery games experience ‘informed consumer interactions’ that minimize the risk of harm from problem playing and underage play, said regulator Carol Boate. Problem gambling and underage play were subject to additional restrictions last year to bolster the measures already in place. In addition to the proactive reviews conducted by her office in 2021; Boate confirmed that the operator was taking the right steps to prevent cyberattacks; and that published game rules for instant-win online games were correctly matched to the approved rules. She also confirmed that mandatory online identity verification; which introduced for newly registered accounts on December 6; also previously registered accounts on a phased basis applied on that day.

A Move to A Better Protected and Safeguarded Gaming

According to the regulator, it makes sense to include the odds of winning a prize in the games themselves; as a result of complaints from players, in the latest report. After the issue with the private operator, the regulator called for the odds to included in the games themselves. It reported by the Irish Examiner that due to the ‘difficult concepts of probability and randomness to understand; it was in players’ interests to include the odds of winning a prize. As of now, the website of the lottery gives the probability of winning for each game on a separate webpage; while scratch cards upgraded and new versions printed on mobile devices, the regulator said. Boate says she is confident that the National Lottery will better protected and safeguarded in 2021 as a result of the oversight, monitoring, and enforcement that will take place. This is my primary concern in the coming period,” she said.

The Numbers So Far

The previously published accounts of PLI for 2021 recorded ticket sales of National Lottery games exceeding €1 billion ($978.5 million); a 14.7% rise to €1.053 billion ($1.03 billion); with both online and retail sales showing growth. The record €289.7 million ($283.4 million) that given to charitable organisations in 2021 was up 14% from the amount given the previous year. Some of the development in revenue was due to the capped €19.1 million ($18.6 million) Lotto jackpot; which remained in play for an unprecedented quantity of draws. After the jackpot capped; the drawing would automatically trigger a “will won draw” five draws later if the jackpot wasn’t won. The consortium that controls PLI, the National Lottery, consists of An Post, its pension fund, and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. In 2014, the consortium received a 20-year license to operate the National Lottery.