Lotto prize money payouts drop by €100m as sales decline

The amount paid out by the lottery operator to ‘Good Causes’ last year decreased by €44.5m from €304m to €259.5m. Under the terms of the lottery licence, 65% of sales less prizes income is paid to fund good causes. Picture: Denis Minihane

The amount paid out in prize money by the operator of the National Lottery last year slumped by more than €100m.

That is according to new accounts by Premier Lotteries Ireland DAC (PLI) which show that prize money for 2022 was €484.9m — a drop of €101m on the €585.9m paid out in prize money in 2021.