Skip to content
PromoVeritas
PromoVeritas
Contact Us
PromoVeritas
  • Home
  • About Us
  • What We Do and Why
  • Our Work
  • News
  • Join the Team
  • Contact

What are the rule changes for running promotions in the Republic of Ireland?

Jack Rogers November 15, 2021

Last December the rules for running prize draws in the Republic of Ireland were amended ahead of an overhaul of the Gambling Act. Amy Powell, Compliance Manager at PromoVeritas explains what has been amended.

“With effect from 1st December 2020, all lotteries operating in Ireland became subject to a new set of rules, governed by the Gaming and Lotteries (Amendment) Act 2019 which brought significant changes to the legal requirements and processes involved in running marketing promotions.

It goes without saying that that these rules in Ireland apply to purchase associated promotions, and not free to enter ones. It’s the payment element which makes these promotions fall within what is called a ‘lottery’ as the definition requires:

  • Payment to participate.
  • At least one prize.
  • Prizes awarded purely on the basis of chance

What Are the Changes?

Previously, any purchase associated game of chance required a lottery licence which could only be obtained by a charity. Now, games of chance fall into three separate requirement categories depending on the total prize pool value:

1. Where the total value of the prizes is less than €2,500, the promotion will NOT require a licence or permit, provided there is no charge for taking part other than the purchase of a product at its standard rate, or redeeming the prize.

2. Where the total value of the prizes is not more than €5,000, the promotion will require a Lottery Permit. This application must be submitted at least 60 days before the start date to the local Garda and an application would only be applicable in the district the permit application is made in. This means that permits are not suitable for national promotions.

3. Where the total value of the prizes is not more than €30,000 in any week; the total value of prizes must not exceed €360,000 in any year for a brand and the promotion will require a Lottery Licence.

Applicants must go to the district court to apply, and the court is obliged to assess the suitability of the applicant and enquire into the purpose of the lottery. The judge will then refuse applications where it is apparent that the charity is not the main beneficiary.

The Act also states that the holder of the licence is not to derive any personal profit from the lottery. A number of new thresholds were also introduced under the Act which includes:

  1. not more than 25% of the total proceeds shall be retained by the holder of the licence and utilised for the expenses of the promotion;
  2. not more than 75% of the total proceeds shall be allocated to prizes; and
  3. not less than 25% of the total proceeds shall be allocated to a charitable or philanthropic purpose.

It is also a requirement to display the value of each prize and the name of the intended beneficiary.

What does this mean?

The impact of this on promoters is potentially huge – although there is no definition of “proceeds” in the Amendment Act, it is likely to be interpreted to mean the price of the product being purchased. So for a promotion that sells millions of units (chocolate bars or packets of crisps, for example) 25% of all sales should be donated to charity, likely rendering the promotion cost prohibitive.

It is clear that running promotions in the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland can get complicated, there are potential solutions to making a promotion complaint with the Act, but the mechanic (i.e. way in which entry is required) and the total prize pool value play a part in determining the best way forward.

To help navigate the complicated path ahead, PromoVeritas’ Legal Team are running a webinar dedicated to understanding the implications in full. To join us on Wednesday 17th November at 10am at this exclusive webinar click here. Or to find out more about how we can run your next promotion right contact +44 203 325 6000 or email info@promoveritas.com .

« ASA Rulings Recap November 2021 PromoVeritas and The Drum launch a brand new “Most Effective Promotion” Category at the 2022 Drum Marketing Awards. »

Call us on 0203 325 6000 to find out how we can help your promotion

+44 (0)203 325 6000
info@promoveritas.com
  • Home
  • About Us
  • What We Do and Why
  • Our Work
  • News
  • Join the Team
  • Contact
Proud members of ISO-27001 Accredited Proud members of
Run it Right.
© 2023 PromoVeritas
Privacy Policy Terms of Service Website Terms & Conditions Cookies Policy
We use cookies on our website. All the cookies we use can be viewed using the Cookie Settings button. By clicking “ACCEPT” you consent to the use of all cookies. You cannot disable our essential cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Read More
ACCEPTCookie settings
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Essential
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

CookieTypeDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary011 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-non-necessary011 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Non Necessary".
viewed_cookie_policy011 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Non Essential

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

CookieTypeDurationDescription
_ga01 yearThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, camapign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assigns a randoly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat_UA-15728851-301 minuteThis is a pattern type cookie set by Google Analytics, where the pattern element on the name contains the unique identity number of the account or website it relates to. It appears to be a variation of the _gat cookie which is used to limit the amount of data recorded by Google on high traffic volume websites.
_gid01 dayThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the wbsite is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages viisted in an anonymous form.
bcookie01 yearThis cookie is set by linkedIn. The purpose of the cookie is to enable LinkedIn functionalities on the page.
bscookie11 year
csrftoken011 monthsThis cookie is associated with Django web development platform for python. Used to help protect the website against Cross-Site Request Forgery attacks
GPS030 minutesThis cookie is set by Youtube and registers a unique ID for tracking users based on their geographical location
IDE11 yearUsed by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
ig_did11 year
ig_nrcb01 year
lang0This cookie is used to store the language preferences of a user to serve up content in that stored language the next time user visit the website.
li_sugr02 months
lidc01 dayThis cookie is set by LinkedIn and used for routing.
lissc01 year
mid01 yearThe cookie is set by Instagram. The cookie is used to distinguish users and to show relevant content, for better user experience and security.
test_cookie011 months
u02 months
UserMatchHistory01 month
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE15 monthsThis cookie is set by Youtube. Used to track the information of the embedded YouTube videos on a website.
YSC1This cookies is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos.
Save & Accept