Irish National Lottery Set for Online Revamp

Plans are underway for the Irish National Lottery to revamp its website, with new owner Premier Lotteries Ireland (PLI) promising to develop a “world-leading interactive web platform.” That statement signifies that PLI intends to implement a highly functional online lottery platform to streamline the entire process for Irish consumers.

New Owner Associated with Camelot

As for track record, PLI is owned by an organisation that also owns the Camelot Group, which is the operator responsible for running the National Lottery in the UK. The association with Camelot will give PLI access to expertise from proven online lottery experts. This is further underlined by the fact that Camelot has acted in a consultancy capacity for lotteries situated in Canada, California, and New York.

UK Online Sales Worth €1.5b

Online sales of lottery tickets in the UK are estimated to be worth close to €1.5 billion, highlighting the incredible potential of online lottery sales. In spite of the fresh potential for the Irish National Lottery, however, a representative association of Irish retail outlets is concerned that an online platform would diminish the fortunes of retailers.

Potential Consumer Benefits

RGData voiced a specific concern that retail sales could be cannibalised by a new online platform. In contrast, ILP is keen to highlight the benefits to Irish consumers. Most notably, ILP stated that higher sales driven by an online contribution would generate larger jackpots for winning players. An added benefit is the convenience of scheduling ticket purchases online. During the average week, approximately 55,000 Irish players manage to win prize money.