CI: ‘Liberalising NI lottery law risks fuelling addiction’

Plans to weaken restrictions on lotteries in Northern Ireland risk an escalation in gambling related harm, The Christian Institute has warned.

Currently, only the National Lottery and small lotteries are exempt from Northern Ireland’s restrictions. But under Alliance MLA Sian Mulholland’s ‘Lotteries for Communities Bill’, large-scale lotteries, such as the Postcode Lottery, would be able to operate in the Province.

Last month, GambleAware urged National Lottery operator Allwyn UK to put ‘health warnings’ on its advertising and products, stating that the National Lottery is not “risk-free”.

Gambling harm

The Institute’s James Kennedy said: “The last thing Northern Ireland needs is more gambling. This Bill would put vulnerable people at greater risk while delivering a net loss to the charitable sector.

“Many charities help those affected by gambling harm. Many community groups, churches and others provide support to individuals affected. For this reason, many refuse to take funding from sources linked to gambling, such as the lottery.”

Mr Kennedy pointed to new Government research which shows that more than half of society lottery participants are “at high risk” of gambling harm. “That rises”, he added, “to 87% for those who also use other gambling products”.

He also warned that expanded advertising from large lottery operators would fuel harmful gambling behaviours, indicating that The People’s Postcode Lottery, a strong supporter of the Alliance proposal, spent more than £84 million on ‘promotion’ last year.

Charitable donations

The Institute contested the claim that lotteries boost charitable income. While The People’s Postcode Lottery states that for every £100 spent on tickets, £30 will go to charity, Mr Kennedy observed that “donating £100 directly results in £125 going to the charity after tax is reclaimed”.

An Alliance Party consultation on the proposed Private Member’s Bill closed this week.

In its formal response, the CI criticised the plan as “entirely inappropriate”, pointing out that unlike Great Britain, Northern Ireland currently has no gambling regulator, and gathers less data on gambling harm.

‘Pervasive’

Earlier this year, MLAs from across the political spectrum urged the Northern Ireland Executive to do more to tackle gambling.

Stormont approved a motion on combating gambling-related harms, which highlighted the “urgent need” for children to be protected from “targeted and pervasive” adverts across sport and social media. It also called for the introduction of clinics to deal with problem gambling.

At the time, several MLAs expressed concern that Northern Ireland’s “outdated” legislation fails to restrict online gambling, and they called for the Province to follow Great Britain’s statutory levy on betting firms.