Hillary Clinton has shown her backing for a bill which is in favour of allowing bigger society lotteries to run in Northern Ireland – saying these could bring “vital new funding” into civil society.
This private member’s bill has been issued by Alliance’s Sian Mulholland in Northern Ireland and is proposing to give the green light to larger-scale society lotteries – which include the People’s Postcode Lottery.
At present, it’s only smaller charity lotteries that are permitted to operate – with these operations limited at a cap of just £80,000.
However, the Hillary Clinton-backed bill looks at increasing these charities capacity to fundraise via society lotteries – with the former First Lady saying they “could provide vital financial support” to key establishments like community led programmes, foodbanks and charity hospices.
Hillary Clinton’s NI Charity Lottery Bill Support Came Via A Video Message
The backing by Clinton came in the form of a video message that was aired on BBC’s Good Morning Ulster which showed the ex US Secretary of State saying the following.
While the BBC also stated the message would be shown at Stormont for the People’s Postcode Lottery.
“To leaders across government and civil society, we can only say: seize this amazing opportunity.
“The postcode lottery is a terrific model to engage people in charitable work.
“By playing a simple game, you’re helping to change your community, and the world, for the better.
“This is a chance to bring vital new funding into Northern Ireland’s civil society.”
In hearing the Hillary Clinton interest, Alliance’s Sian Mulholland added she was “delighted” to have the backing of Secretary Clinton, who has been Chancellor of Queen’s University Belfast since 2020.
With the bill having been opened for public consultation earlier in May.
Ms Mulholland added
“I think she is someone who has been involved in civic society in Northern Ireland for such a long time,”
“She understands civic society here, but she also as someone who is involved in her own foundation, is aware of the benefits of a charity lottery and what it can actually provide.”
“When we look at large society lotteries and what they have invested into the community and voluntary sector in Great Britain and even across Europe, they’ve raised millions of pounds in vital funds for these good causes in our grass roots and local communities.”
Some Opposing Bill, Saying It Will Impact The National Lottery Good Causes Fund
However, the UK gambling industry news also reported there has been some areas against the bill.
With Allwyn UK representatives at the Stormont communities committee, saying their research indicated there could be up to £5.4m lost annually to Northern Ireland’s purse and National Lottery good causes within five years if the legislation was agreed.
This is based on potentially losing current National Lottery players to the Postcode Lottery and other society lotteries – or people spreading their involvement over the different options.
In response, Mulholland said “the National lottery was a very different product and research in GB showed there was no major impact on the numbers of people playing it”
The People’s Postcode Lottery Explained
The ‘People’s Postcode Lottery’ is a lottery that is subscription-based.
Players that have an address postcode are allowed to sign-up and charged £12.25 a month to enter the draws, which see winning postcodes share cash prizes.
In addition to the prize pool going to winners, a minimum of 30% of each ticket price also goes to dedicated charities associated with the Postcode Lottery.
A minimum of 30% of the ticket price goes to charities.
The director of public affairs at the People’s Postcode Lottery, Malcolm Fleming, – said there was “huge untapped potential” for such fundraising to raise millions of pounds every year for charities in Northern Ireland.”
Northern Ireland’s Gambling Laws Explained
The current NI laws showcased in the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Northern Ireland) date from 1985.
- There is no single independent regulatory body for gambling in Northern Ireland
- Courts and councils license gambling activities, the Department for Communities is responsible for track betting licences and enforcement lies with the police
- The 1985 order predates the development of the internet and therefore contains no provisions relating to online gambling, including UK online casinos
- NI consumers are offered some protection through laws in Great Britain
- There are also no provisions requiring the gambling industry in NI to make any contribution to funding support services for problem gambling
- NI laws were last updated in 2022 to allow for extended opening hours for bookmakers and bingo halls.
Andy is an experienced betting and gambling journalist with over 20 years industry experience. He brings an excellent knowledge of the world of sports betting and online gambling but is mainly regarded as horse racing expert within the betting industry.
