Two thirds of Irish population play lottery
Nearly two in three Irish people play the National Lottery regularly, gambling an average of just under £4.50 each week, new figures have shown.
With 30 new millionaires created last year, the ‘‘prime motivator’’ for buying tickets is the hope of hitting the jackpot.
Nearly one third (32%) of the top payouts in 2000 were between £1m and £2m.
Since its creation in 1987, the lottery has generated £3.6bn in revenue, though sales fell slightly last year, according to a report published by economic consultants DKM this week.
The study found that the typical lottery player is a middle-aged woman living in Dublin, or the eastern region of Ireland, and from one of the lower socio-economic groups.
On average, participants spent £4.43 per week on tickets, with men spending more than women and nearly one in six (17%) splashing out more than £6 per week.
Those living in cities were more likely to play than those in the country, while the unemployed played as regularly as the rest of the population.
By 2000, net spending on the national lottery was just one-seventh of that on tobacco and less than one-20th of spending on alcohol.
Colm McCarthy, managing director of DKM Consultants, said the amounts gambled were a ‘‘small proportion of everyone’s income’’, adding: ‘‘If you look at sins like drinking and smoking, the differences between socio-economic groups are much more striking.’’
Of the total lottery turnover over 14 years, £1.8 bn went in prizes, £1.2 bn to a charitable fund and £579m on expenses.
Mr McCarthy said: ‘‘Support for lottery products remains strong but turnover is no longer growing in real terms and the market has matured.’’
He pointed out that last year’s lottery sales figures, not adjusted for inflation, fell by 2.5% in the UK and by 2% in the US.
