COLUMN: Lotto issues to be addressed

Gambling and betting is sometimes frowned upon and from time-to-time there will be a furore when some individual is lauded for admitting to having a problem.

Horseracing, football, sport generally, betting options - in running, first scorer, first goal, first point, first corner, first shot on target - difficult choices.

There used to be a very popular one many years ago - betting on the photo-finish - but technology has eliminated that one and introduced many other alternatives.

Now you don't even have to go to a game or the races - you can sit at home and bet on some event down the road or on the other side of the globe.

Wall-to-wall advertising will get you interested - IT COULD BE YOU - does that sound familiar?

Looking at gambling at a very local level - a club lotto was a topic of discussion at Trim District Court last month with a licence application from Dunboyne AFC adjourned for a decision this week.

Perusing the lotto results that are published in the Meath Chronicle (page 47 this week) will demonstrate that local sports clubs are endeavouring to raise much-needed funds on a weekly basis.

A quick piece of mental arithmatic shows that there is more than €100,000 in jackpots waiting for correct selections from the 20 plus clubs that provide weekly results. There are probably many more also?

For the un-informed, which probably isn't a large number, a jackpot is the prize in a local club lotto for selecting all the correct numbers, usually four, but in some instances four plus a bonus number.

Unlike the more popular National Lottery that offers a range of options and the promise of some serious financial rewards for a minimum outlay of €3 - and you don't even have to pick the numbers, you can be lazy and do what's known as a 'quick pick' and leave it to technology.

And for the convenience of everyone who wants to participate, it can be completed remotely.

By that I mean you can do the business through your very own National Lottery account once you can prove that you are compliant with all the terms and conditions necessary to open an account with the National Lottery.

Alternatively, you can venture into your local National Lottery agent, fill out the form, hand it over with the cash and you're in business.

And just in case you might forget to speculate each week, on a Wednesday and a Saturday, or every day if you wish, there are usually exciting announcements on radio and television and other platforms.

You know the aforementioned one that ends with - IT COULD BE YOU?

Against that type of opposition, the local GAA, soccer, rugby and athletic clubs, most clubs, strive to promote their own efforts at fundraising, usually for €2 placed in an envelope with the selected numbers filled in on the front.

There are lotto draws most nights of the week throughout the Royal County so you could play every night if you wished.

For instance, this Wednesday night officials from north Meath GAA club Oldcastle will be on duty with the draw live on a club social media platform and a jackpot of €10,600 on the table.

Add in other GAA clubs across the county like Navan O'Mahonys, Summerhill, Gaeil Colmcille, Ballinabrackey, Dunshaughlin & Royal Gaels and Longwood - a club that had its jackpot won last week.

There are soccer clubs like Fordrew Rovers and Dunboyne while on the rugby front Navan RFC also operate a lotto.

Most clubs now have an online presence and this was an issue that was before judge Cormac Dunne at Trim District Court last month.

The Dunboyne club applied for a new licence to enable them to continue to promote the lottery online. The club secretary told the court that the lottery has been run by volunteers for the past 25 to 30 years with tickets usually sold in pubs, but that is not possible at the moment due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Judge Dunne said there were questions to be answered before he could grant a lottery licence to allow Dunboyne soccer club operate their lottery online.

The judge expressed concerns over whether there would be a maximum spend limit and time restrictions for when people could play.

He adjourned the application to allow the club time to address these issues, a decision is due this week.

The majority of clubs submitting results to the Meath Chronicle on a weekly basis appear to have an online presence and will, no doubt, be interested in the decision on this application from Dunboyne soccer club.

Local lotto enthusiasts needn't worry too much about missing out, they can always play the National Lottery online - can't they?

There was an interesting set of results for Blackhall Gaels GAA club's development draw last week (it's separate from the lotto) - it was the third draw in the club's development project.

The draw was held in Batterstown and the winners of the first prize of €500 were Pat and Aileen Ferris in New Jersey, USA, the consolation prizes also left the Royal County with recipients in Kilcock and Maynooth.

HORSERACING

Staying with the gambling theme, but moving from selecting numbers to selecting horses.

Meath business couple and racehorse owners Noel and Valerie Moran were out of luck at Navan's rescheduled action last Friday - and their trainer Gordon Elliott wasn't too happy about it.

The trainer was annoyed over the outcome of the two-and-a-half-mile maiden hurdle when the Moran-owned Folcano was denied by a nose in a tight finish against the John Murphy-trained Brazos.

There was a stewards enquiry announced as Brazos had drifted right off the far rail towards the standside on the run-in and duly carried the challenging Folcano (10/11f) with him.

Folcano was bumped in the final 50 yards and lost out by a fast-diminishing nose.

However, the result stood although the winning jockey was deemed in breach of rule 214, in that he had ridden carelessly, and he was suspended for two race days.

Elliott, not a man to ever appear annoyed in post-race interviews, was not pleased with the outcome of the enquiry when he spoke to Racing TV.

"Just watching the re-run again, he (Brazos) goes right across the track the horse (Folcano) got a bump and he got beat a nose.

"I think the consistency of these stewards enquiries is barbaric in Ireland at the moment.

“I don't know what you have to do to get a race.

“Do you have to put them literally out across the rails now to get a race?

"There's no consistency, it is disappointing," he added.

There was more controversy at Naas on Sunday over the start of a two-mile handicap hurdle when three horses were left badly at the start.

Paddy Power and Betfair stated that they would give money back, as a free bet, on two runners, Shakeytry and Sean Says and would also refund any win bets on runner-up Aarons Day.

The race started 18 minutes behind schedule after it had been put back five minutes following a request by broadcasters. It was delayed by a further 13 minutes after the Noel Meade-trained Melly And Me got loose and was eventually withdrawn.

At the start Shakeytry unseated jockey Philip Enright causing interference to Aarons Day, which started well behind, and Sean Says which failed to take part.

That incident had occurred before the tapes were released with the starter then letting the runners go.

A stewards enquiry into the start was called after the race and the matter was subsequently referred on to the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB).