Premier Lotteries Ireland prods government to ban online lottery bets

The days are probably numbered for internationally licensed gambling operators that offer betting on Irish lottery draws.

The Irish Sun reported that Irish National Lottery operator Premier Lotteries Ireland (PLI) demanded the government to pull the plug on what it described as “parasitic” online gambling operators—such as Lottoland, MyLotto 24 and MultiLotto—that made money out of the outcome of the national draw.

PLI pointed out that the online gambling operators were able to cash in on the outcome of lotteries due to a loophole in the current Irish regulatory environment.

“They utilize the names of ‘Lotto’ and ‘EuroMillions,’ potentially leading players to believe they are participating in National Lottery games and contributing to good causes. In fact, they are just betting on the outcome of games,” a PLI spokesman said, according to the news outlet.