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National Lottery Compliance – CSNA view

The Association was invited to make observations and suggestions to a draft Compliance Code 3 years ago.

This Code provided a clear, precise and fair process  to be followed if and when difficulties arose in regard to failings in acceptable levels of honest dealings with PLI and/or the gameplaying public.

What has happened subsequently is the subject of some disquiet to CSNA and has led to discussions at the highest level between the two parties.

In short, we are neither happy or satisfied that PLI Agents are well served by the amended version of the Code that was issued after a mere year of the previous, agreed version.

The penalties/sanctions were rearranged and it would appear that a much harder line was being considered for what are, in all reality, venial rather than mortal sins.

We have made a proposal that would, at one fell swoop, eliminate the possibility of any customer having to wait for an unauthorised ticket to be invalid; PLI agrees this proposal would immediately resolve the matter but will take 18 months to implement.

If Agents are being threatened with removal of PLI stock and equipment due to a transgression that PLI have it in their ability to solve, we have a very real problem and have informed them they need to bring changes to the current regime.

An Post the National Lottery and PLI have always relied substantially on the good relations they had developed with IRNA our predecessor and CSNA; we do not wish to put this relationship at risk but feel that the current regime of sanctions and reported incidences of non compliance, particularly in these “Covid times” is unhelpful in achieving what must be ultimately our shared objective, to sell more product and earn more money.