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RollingNews.ie

99% of unclaimed Lotto winnings in 2019 were not re-invested into other prizes

Just €187,400 was given back to players through extra prizes last year.

ALMOST NINETEEN MILLION Euro worth of National Lottery prizes went unclaimed last year but less than 1% of the unclaimed prize fund was returned to players in the form of special draws and top-up prizes.

New figures made available by the Office of the Regulator of the National Lottery show a total of €18,993,483 was forfeited by lottery prize winners during 2019 as a result of failing to collect their winnings within 90 days.

However, just €187,400 was given back to players through extra prizes last year.

Over €90m in unclaimed prizes has now been returned to Premier Lotteries Ireland (PLI) since it took over the licence to operate the National Lottery in November 2014.

Under the terms of its licence PLI is allowed to retain expired unclaimed prizes for marketing lottery products with discretionary use of the fund for special draws and top-up or additional prizes.

In contrast, unclaimed prizes in the UK lottery go towards good causes if unclaimed after 180 days, while the vast bulk of unclaimed prizes was returned to players in the form of larger jackpots before the National Lottery was privatised six years ago.

A PLI spokesperson said the company operated the National Lottery in accordance with its licence which was monitored by an independent regulator.

“When making decisions about the best way to use the unclaimed prize money, PLI considers its obligations under the licence and the best way to promote the National Lottery to maximise revenue for good causes,” the spokesperson said.

However, the outgoing chairman of the Dáil Public Accounts Committee, Seán Fleming, has called for the next Government to ask the Attorney General to examine if there was any review mechanism for the 20-year licence awarded to PLI in 2014.

Licence due to expire

PLI is a consortium between An Post, An Post Pensions Fund and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, which also owns Camelot, the UK lottery operator.

It paid €405m for the licence which is due to expire in 2034.

“Maybe nothing can be done but it is worth checking. It appears clear that civil servants had not factored in the scale of unclaimed prizes in negotiating the terms of the licence and setting a value on it,” Fleming said.

According to PLI, scratch card games accounted for €9.7m in unclaimed prizes last year with €9.3m associated with draw based games.

The largest unclaimed prize in 2019 was a €500,000 jackpot from the Euromillions Plus draw on October 1, which was sold in a Mace store in Kilbarrack Shopping Centre in Dublin.

The PLI spokesperson said the company, under the terms of its licence, carried out local and national media campaigns as well as raising awareness through its online channels and stores nationwide to identify the winners of unclaimed top tier prizes.

Funds vary year to year

The annual value of unclaimed prize funds has ranged between €16m and €19m in recent years.

The biggest unclaimed prize on record was a jackpot €4.3m in June 2001, when the winning ticket was sold in Coolock.

Although the level of unclaimed prize funds can vary from year to year, it is expected to decline with the growth of National Lottery games played online.

Unclaimed prizes as a proportion of total ticket sales decreased from 2.4% in 2018 to 2.1% last year.

Due to the introduction of restrictions to stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus, the National Lottery had extended the period of time to claim prizes to 180 days for all draw based games between 9 January and 5 July.

PLI had resisted providing the full annual amount of unclaimed prizes until directed to release such details by the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC) last year.

The company has disputed the view of both the lottery regulator and the OIC that using unclaimed prize funds for marketing purposes represented “a benefit-in-kind” and that the scale of unclaimed prizes was directly related to the €405m it paid for the licence.

However, the OIC noted that PLI acknowledged that the treatment of unclaimed prizes was one of many relevant issues it considered in determining the size of its bid for the licence.

Earlier this year, PLI lost its long-running row with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform over who had a claim on €16m which PLI “inherited” from the previous licence holder following a recommendation by the lottery regulator.

Last week, PLI reported that its operating profits for 2019 increased by 75% to €8.9m.

Over the same period turnover rose by 10% to €884.5m, while the amount raised for good causes was also up 10% to €251.6m.

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    Mute Sharp Elsi Mate
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    Jun 10th 2020, 8:24 AM

    That headline right there is an embarrassment to any government in power. Shameful that this is how vulnerable people get access to housing.

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    Mute James Gorman
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    Jun 10th 2020, 8:39 AM

    @Sharp Elsi Mate: who do you think funds those agencies??

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    Mute The next small thing
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    Jun 10th 2020, 8:39 AM

    @Sharp Elsi Mate: This housing is paid for by the Government, it’s just another way of delivering it and can be done cheaper than going through the Local Authority. Also the Local Authority doesn’t have the problems and costs associated with social housing such as maintenance, non payment of rent and anti social behaviour.

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    Mute Vic's Burd
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    Jun 10th 2020, 9:02 AM

    @Sharp Elsi Mate: If we were to wait around til the state looked for land and funding to build public social housing on, we will have a way bigger homeless issue to deal with…

    The AHBs are providing a much needed ‘home for life’ service – some of these are built on private lands still own by Trusts; who claim a share of the rents to fund Charities, stakeholders and investors etc. While the rest of the rent goes to the upkeep and maintenance.

    This is the future of social housing. Public owned land is getting scarce.

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    Mute Pauline Fedigan
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    Jun 10th 2020, 9:17 AM

    @James Gorman: THE TAX PAYERS

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    Mute Sharp Elsi Mate
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    Jun 10th 2020, 9:33 AM

    @James Gorman: WE DO. I’m under no illusion how these charities and agencies are funded my point was that we have a completely dysfunctional housing agency that cannot delivery all housing like a properly ran agency should. But thats ok James if you think you are getting good value out of those civil servants happy days come to think of it you probably are one of them.

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    Mute James Walsh
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    Jun 10th 2020, 10:21 AM

    @Sharp Elsi Mate: You don’t seem to understand the concept , just eager to express some outrage

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    Mute Sharp Elsi Mate
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    Jun 10th 2020, 2:14 PM

    @James Walsh: aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…now i feel better

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    Mute Jenny Hughes
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    Jun 10th 2020, 7:36 PM

    @James Walsh: “just eager to express some outrage” this sums up most people these days! I’ll be stealing this phrase, you’re spot on!

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    Mute Shaner Mac
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    Jun 10th 2020, 8:21 AM

    With the completely dysfunctional and unsustainable nature of the current social housing system, I’m not surprised that local councils can’t and don’t deliever them directly.

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    Mute Sean Boylan
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    Jun 10th 2020, 8:42 AM

    @Shaner Mac: The local councils are delivering social units also ranging from new builds, part v, purchases and leases. The same with the voluntary housing bodies, the majority of the new units to this sector are funded and procured through the local councils. Most of the new units stated are owned by the LA and leased to the voluntary bodies. The two always work together to provide housing services.

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    Mute Vic's Burd
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    Jun 10th 2020, 9:04 AM

    @Sean Boylan: not all of them. Some are privately build for this purpose; LA just pay the rent similar to HAP for private landlords.

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    Mute New Day Rising
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    Jun 10th 2020, 8:52 AM

    Just imagine the state this country would be in without charity and volunteer involvement, they do it all, housing, mental health, cancer respite, suicide prevention to name a few. The governments over decades have failed us

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    Mute Vic's Burd
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    Jun 10th 2020, 9:07 AM

    @New Day Rising: you are aware the majority get 50-80% funding from the Government to run these services under Service Agreements?

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    Mute Greg Daniel
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    Jun 10th 2020, 9:21 AM

    Build it and they will come

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    Mute Rory J Leonard
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    Jun 10th 2020, 9:16 AM

    Yes, the AHB’s are doing wonderful work throughout the country in providing homes to the most vulnerable.

    The Peter McVerry Trust operates a wonderful scheme – now up and running in many counties – whereby owners of run-down unoccupied properties are assisted financially in bringing them back to life.

    There’s a dribble of Income for the freehold owner initially until repair bill has been fully recovered; afterwards… almost full market rent for the region in question. PMT takes care of everything.

    So for anyone wondering what to do with their recently inherited, bramble/ivy covered, right country located, fixer upper, talk to the folks at The Peter McVerry Trust.

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    Mute Damon16
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    Jun 10th 2020, 1:40 PM

    Good. 100% of social housing should be built this way. The public sector is the most inefficient and unaccountable entity.

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    Mute Patrick FitzGerald
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    Jun 10th 2020, 6:56 PM

    Non profit should be the only way housing is provided. That we allow people to use housing they don’t need as an investment vehicle and exploit people in the process is one of the worst archaic paradigms of human civilisation.

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