With a national lottery proposed for Ireland, are the days of the Irish Hospitals' Sweepstake numbered?
The Irish Hospitals' Sweepstake draw takes place at the Irish Hospitals’ Trust headquarters in Ballsbridge, Dublin. Two lucky people stand to win £125,000 each from the outcome of a horse race held at Newmarket in England. The number who are eligible to win has been reduced to 58, and 11 of the ticketholders live in Ireland.
About a million sweepstakes tickets have been sold globally, mostly in the United States and Canada.
But with growing competition from other worldwide lotteries, the sweep is failing to attract the support it once did.
With a national lottery proposed for Ireland, the days of the Irish Hospitals’ Sweepstake could be numbered.
Séamus McGrath of the Irish Hospitals' Trust believes with 50 years of experience they could run a national lottery.
We would be very interested in running a national lottery.
Irish Hospitals’ Trust have given advice to other countries on how to run sweepstakes. The Irish Hospitals' Sweepstake staff know the lottery business, and have a premises that coould be used.
Séamus McGrath beleives the national lottery will probably replace the Irish Hospitals' Sweepstake but,
The present way of our lottery there would still be a certain amount of it run on a race.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 19 October 1984. The reporter is Alan McCullough.
