Reform the lottery, don’t sell it

THE proposed sell-off of the National Lottery will not be frowned upon by many and deserves to be criticised on many fronts.

The national lottery has become very expensive draw to enter requiring a minimum of €3 a ticket, plus extra tariffs to play supplementary draws.

When the draw originally began, the price of a ticket was just 50 cent thereabouts, not the serious money that is now being shelled out by those who are not questioning how much should be anted up to enter it.

To enter the Wednesday and Saturday draws without bonus draws would cost a whopping €624 annually. This, by all accounts, is serious money and many people play the full range of games which would take the annual gamble on the lottery close to €1,000 annually. The introduction of the lottery was seen by some as a dangerous prelude to people developing a gambling addiction and this is exactly the direction it has been going. Many shops around the country are similar to betting shops.

The lottery draw has been criticised nationwide for not giving enough to runners-up and only giving out cash prizes instead of material prizes such as cars, holidays, etc. The has even been doubts about the credibility of the draw in some quarters, with experts skilled in maths and chance taking issue with the frequency of drawn numbers and a current lack of independent observation on live draws.

There is also doubt about where the good cause money really goes at the end of the line and whether it is solely given over to good causes with a lack of transparency. National lottery scratch cards have also been slammed which are now seen by many as one of the biggest rackets in the country, giving out very small cash prizes which just about cover the cost of buying one.

The national lottery lost its glory a long time ago and is now an expensive indulgence with a gambling feel to it — not a charitable one. The draw should be reformed, instead of selling it off to private owners who will account to no-one and will probably have controversial links with the gaming industry.

Maurice Fitzgerald

Shanbally

Co Cork