Clinton backs People's Postcode Lottery law change

Changes in the law around charity lotteries could bring in "vital new funding into Northern Ireland's civil society", Hillary Clinton has said.

A video message from the Chancellor of Queen's University Belfast and former US secretary of state will be played to a People's Postcode Lottery reception in Stormont on Tuesday.

It comes after Alliance assembly member Sian Mulholland launched a consultation, seeking views on her Private Members Lotteries for Communities Bill, which aims to expand charity lottery fundraising in Northern Ireland.

However, the operator of the National Lottery in Northern Ireland, Allwyn UK, has warned against "industrial-scale society lotteries".

Mulholland's consultation states "there may be concerns about the potential risks associated with gambling, and its impact on individuals and communities," and it is seeking to gauge opinions from the public on the matter.

Mulholland's proposal is a Non-Executive Bill - in this case, a Private Members Bill introduced by an individual MLA.

They offer individual MLAs the chance to introduce legislation independently from the Executive departments, but follow the same scrutiny process as Executive Bills following introduction.

In the video message, Clinton speaks about her and former US President Bill Clinton's view of the charity sector in Northern Ireland and across the world.

"Through our visits to Northern Ireland over the years, we know how vital the charity sector and civil society are," she said.

"When we heard that People's Postcode Lottery might come to Northern Ireland, we wanted to lend our voices in support."

The People's Postcode Lottery is a subscription-based lottery service.

Players sign up with their postcode and pay a subscription fee of £12.25 per month to play for cash prizes.

They are automatically entered into the draw and prizes are announced every day of the month.

A minimum of 30% of the ticket price goes to charities.

Malcolm Fleming, director of public affairs at the People's Postcode Lottery, said there was "huge untapped potential" for such fundraising to raise millions of pounds every year for charities in Northern Ireland.

Speaking to BBC News NI, Mulholland said she wanted to bring new funding options to the community and voluntary sector in Northern Ireland.

"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."

Speaking at a Stormont communities committee, Allwyn UK representatives said their research showed there could be a £5.4m annual loss to Northern Ireland's purse and National Lottery good causes within five years if the legislation was implemented.

But 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.

However Tim Cairns, from the Christian charity CARE for NI, said there had to be "proper regulation in place before any other gambling products are allowed to be sold to the people of Northern Ireland," given "increased levels of problem gambling in NI".

The charity is calling for the Northern Ireland Executive to introduce "tougher curbs" on the industry.

"While society lotteries such as the People's Postcode Lottery are at the lower end of the scale in causing harm, politicians in Northern Ireland are sending out a signal that the gambling industry takes precedence over those who are harmed by its products," he added.

The National Lottery can be played in Northern Ireland because it is governed by a different legislative framework, but the current law prevents large society lotteries from operating.

Mulholland said this was "because of the cap and the limits that are set in terms of how many people are allowed to play charity lotteries here and also how much charity lotteries here are allowed to put up the prices".

• The current laws contained in the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Northern Ireland) Order date back to 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

• 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.

The Department for Communities said provisions allowing lotteries to operate in Northern Ireland were set out in the order

"Nothing in Part IV of the 1985 Order prohibits lotteries, including the People's Postcode Lottery, from operating in Northern Ireland provided, of course, they adhere to the Order's requirements," a statement said.

"It is a matter for the People's Postcode Lottery itself to consider whether it extends its own lottery, at any stage, to Northern Ireland," the statement added.

In response, Mulholland said: "While the law may not explicitly block such lotteries, it fails to facilitate their effective operation, putting Northern Ireland charities at a significant disadvantage compared to their counterparts in England, Scotland and Wales."