If you’ve ever worked in a fast food restaurant, you'll be well familiar with the management phrase “suggestive selling”. Somebody buys one product, you suggest another. It's management-speak, I suppose, for “do you want fries with that?”

All very well and innocent enough, you would think, especially with an innocuous purchase like a burger. But when it comes to selling lottery tickets, it’s a different story. And for the last couple of days, Liveline callers have been detailing their own experiences with “suggestive selling” in relation to national lottery tickets.

One caller, John, expressed his frustration at constantly being encouraged to buy lottery tickets at Topaz filling stations. And as somebody who does about 5000 km a month, he says it’s getting a little tiring.

“I have a Topaz fuel card… I’m in a Topaz garage every second day of the week. Certainly, 8 out of 10 times, I am asked do I want to do my Lotto or do I have my Lotto done.”

In saying this, John was responding to a statement read on the show by presenter, Joe Duffy, and issued by Topaz, in which they say:

“Topaz is fully aware of its contractual obligations to ensure that lottery products are sold in line with responsible play guidelines and our staff are trained accordingly. Topaz does not have a policy in place whereby the sale of Lotto tickets is promoted directly to customers by staff.”

The ever diligent Liveline team had contacted the Regulator of the National Lottery, and Joe Duffy also took the opportunity to read Article 9.9 of their licensing agreement for the sale of lottery tickets. That article goes as follows:

“The Licensee, its subsidiaries and all Retailers shall ensure that no unsolicited telephone calls or other forms of direct personal communication are made with a view to encouraging the purchase of Ticket in a National Lottery Game without the prior written approval of the Regulator.”

Nevertheless, following legal advice, the National Lottery confirmed to Liveline that this clause did not preclude conversations that might happen between a staff member at a particular outlet and a client at point of sale.

Are you following this?

Well, this was John’s reaction.

“I’m not sure of the legalities of it, all I’m sure of is that it is happening. I’ve never been asked do I have fresh milk in my fridge or do I need a loaf of bread. But I am always asked do I want to do the lottery. Thankfully, I’m not a gambling person so it doesn’t bother me. But it does frustrate me that every time I’m asked the same question when I am in purchasing diesel.”

Other callers had their say, some with the same experience as John, and one former employee of Topaz who says he was encouraged to push for sales on certain days.

To listen to those interviews in full, click here.