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The National Lottery ((アイルランド語:An Crannchur Náisiúnta)) is the state lottery of Republic of Ireland. It was created when the Republic of Ireland government passed the (National Lottery Act, 1986 ) to help raise funds for good causes. The eligible causes are sport and recreation, health and welfare, national heritage and the arts, the Irish language, and the natural environment. National Lottery gaming operations began in March 1987 with scratchcards, and the flagship drawing game Lotto began in March 1988. The National Lottery now operates three families of drawing games (Lotto, EuroMillions, and Daily Million), funds televised bingo and game shows, sells a wide range of scratchcards, and runs a number of Millionaire Raffles each year. National Lottery games are available online as well as through a network of over 3,700 retail agents nationwide. By the end of 2013, the National Lottery had achieved over €12 billion in cumulative sales, had paid out €6.7 billion in prizes, and had raised €4.4 billion for the good causes it supports.〔National Lottery Company Annual Report 2013, available at http://www.lottery.ie/Global/reports/nationallotteryannualreport2012.pdf〕 In 2011, 2.2 million Irish people (64 percent of the adult population) reported playing National Lottery games, with 1.5 million (42 percent) reporting that they played weekly.〔Presentation to Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, and Reform by Donal Connell, Chairman, An Post National Lottery Company. Available at http://www.oireachtas.ie/parliament/media/committees/finance/Presentation.ppt〕 In 2013, due to a financial crisis that had left the Irish state running a large budget deficit, the Irish government agreed to sell the National Lottery licence for 20 years to a private operator, Premier Lotteries Ireland. The new operator took ownership of the licence on 27 February 2014. The government is receiving €405 million from the sale, some of which will finance the construction of a new National Children's Hospital. ==Administration== From its inception until 27 February 2014, the National Lottery was operated under licence by the An Post National Lottery Company ((アイルランド語:Comhlacht Chrannchur Náisiúnta An Post)), which was 80 percent owned by Ireland's state-owned postal services provider An Post and 20 percent by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.〔 In 2011, in response to Ireland's financial crisis, the government included the National Lottery licence on a list of state assets that could be sold to assist the public finances. In April 2012, the government announced that it would sell the National Lottery licence for a period of 20 years for an upfront payment, while ensuring that 30 percent of lottery sales would still go to fund its designated good causes. The licence was valued at between €200 and €600 million, with some estimates putting its value in the region of €500 million. In May 2013, the Irish government enacted the (National Lottery Act 2013 ) to allow for the sale of the National Lottery licence, provide for the establishment of a new independent lottery regulator, and eliminate some restrictions on Internet gambling to allow for the growth of online lottery sales. The legislation also added the natural environment to the list of good causes eligible to receive lottery funding. On 3 October 2013, Minister Howlin announced that the government had agreed to sell the National Lottery licence for €405 million to Premier Lotteries Ireland, a consortium comprising An Post, An Post pension funds, and the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (owner of the Camelot Group, operators of the UK National Lottery). Dermot Griffin, head of the An Post National Lottery Company since 2006, was appointed chief executive of Premier Lotteries Ireland. Other existing senior management were also retained. Executives from the Camelot Group, the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, and An Post were appointed to the board of the new company. The process of finalizing the lottery contracts was delayed due to an industrial dispute involving the employees of An Post National Lottery Company over the terms and conditions of staff transfers to Premier Lotteries Ireland, but the dispute was resolved in February 2014, and contracts were signed on 27 February 2014. Some of the funds paid to the Irish state will be used for a range of local infrastructural projects, including the construction of a National Children's Hospital. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「National Lottery (Ireland)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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