The Irish National Lottery made history last year, exceeding €1bn in lottery ticket sales in 2021 for the first time in its history, whilst also breaking its record for contributions to good causes.
Publishing its Annual Report 2021, Premier Lotteries Ireland confirmed that the National Lottery had one of its most successful years to date, with CEO Andrew Algeo noting that 2021 was an ‘exceptional and record-breaking’.
Total revenues reached €1.05bn in the calendar year of 2021, broken down by both retail and digital sales.
Retail sales amounted to €878.6m, making up 83.4% of total lottery ticket sales, with retail partners netting over €55m in commission.
Meanwhile, digital sales reached €175.1m, representing 16.6% of lottery ticket sales for the period.
The lottery detailed that over 153,000 new players set up an online account, demonstrating the ‘continued popularity’ of the modern format. Ensuring player safety, the lottery implemented a mandatory ID for online players as part of its player protection mechanisms.
The report revealed that another record was set; National Lottery players raised over €300m for good causes for the first time in the lottery’s 35-year history. Good cause contributions reached €304m, with 29 cents of each euro going towards the good causes fund. This means that the lottery has raised over €6bn for charitable causes since its inception in 1987.
Assessing the lottery’s performance in 2021, Algeo commented: “2021 was both exceptional and another record-breaking year for the National Lottery, our players and for the community groups and projects they support through the Good Causes Fund.
“With lockdowns and the pressures of the pandemic still a part of life and business in 2021, our team continued to excel and ensure the successful operation of all aspects of the National Lottery. While remote working continued to be a way of life in 2021, the end of the year saw the company prepare to return to the office on a hybrid basis.”
