Ireland Spends £650 Million on Lottery Tickets

Mondday, May 9th, 2011 - Emily W

According to a recent report, citizens of Ireland spent £650 million on lottery tickets last year. £130 of that figure was spent on scratch cards. 

In 2009, the country spent £715 million on the National Lottery, marking a significantly higher figure than 2010’s. However, £650 million is still a huge number, demonstrating that the Irish have not let the global recession get in their way of hitting it big on the lottery. 

Over the course of the year, 2.2 million people across the country bought lottery tickets and took part in other activities offered by the National Lottery. Nearly 270 million transactions were made during that time. 

While the amount spent on lottery tickets declined, the amount won actually increased. In 2009, players won 53.8% of total sales as prizes. Last year, they won 54.4% of total sales, equaling 367 £million for thousands of lucky players across the nation. Throughout 2010, there were 25 jackpot winners for the lottery and nearly 900 players won over £8500. 

A significant portion of the revenue earned by the National Lottery was contributed to a wide range of good causes across the country. £200 million was given to various charities and social programs.