NATIONAL LOTTERY ticket sales exceeded €1 billion last year, up 14.7% on the previous year, according to operator Premier Lotteries Ireland full year results for 2021.
The operator also heavily increased its profits to €25.3 million, up from €14.6 million in 2020.
The company said that approximately 90% of all revenue generated from sales of National Lottery games was returned to communities. This comes in the form of prizes (56%), funding good causes (29%) and commission to retailers (5%) in Ireland.
Commission payments to National Lottery retailers amounted to €55.3 million.
On average, 1.4 million people a week participated in National Lottery games in 2021.
Premier Lotteries said it was another record-breaking year for National Lottery winners with €585.9 million in prizes which is an increase of 10.8% on 2020.
In total, National Lottery games made 31 millionaires in 2021, which included 17 millionaires in the Lotto game.
"This was the first year in the National Lottery’s history in which amounts raised for good causes exceeded €300 million and also, in which ticket sales exceeded €1 billion," said PLI chief executive Andrew Algeo.
Since the National Lottery was established in 1987, in excess of €6 billion has been raised for good causes.
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