About the National Lottery

Premier Lotteries Ireland

Premier Lotteries Ireland DAC (PLI) is the operator of the Irish National lottery having been awarded a 20-year license by the Irish Government in November 2014. We are committed to delivering our core purpose, to operate a responsible and world-class lottery for the people of Ireland, raising much needed Good Cause funds for the benefit of local communities throughout Ireland. Located in Abbey Street in the heart of Dublin, PLI is run by an experienced Irish based management team led by our CEO Andrew Algeo. 

La Française des Jeux (FDJ)

On Friday November 3rd, 2023, it was announced that La Française des Jeux (FDJ) completed its purchase of all the share capital of PLI from Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board, An Post and An Post Pension Plan. 

The purchase was approved by the Regulator of the National Lottery in early October.

FDJ is France’s largest gaming company and the operator of the French National Lottery. It is regulated in France, is publicly listed and quoted on the Paris Stock Exchange.

The acquisition of PLI is the Group’s first venture operating a lottery outside France and reflects FDJ’s strategic ambition to become an international B2C operator in lottery, sports betting and online gaming.

Stéphane Pallez, Chairwoman and CEO of FDJ Group, said: “La Française des Jeux has opened a new chapter in its history by fulfilling its ambition to expand its international presence as a lottery and online gaming operator. The synergies between FDJ and Premier Lotteries Ireland will draw on our respective and acknowledged skills to offer people in Ireland a recreational, responsible range of games.

PLI’s Vision

PLI’s vision is for a National Lottery that operates in a socially responsible way providing exciting and life-changing lottery games that bring fun and entertainment to everyone.

Our Mission 

PLI’s mission is to operate a world-class lottery for the people of Ireland, raising important funds for Good Causes.

PLI’s Values 

We are Open

Because “It Could Be You” is founded on customers’ trust, and progress depends on learning and working together, to succeed we must be open.

We are Reliable

Because our customer promise “It Could be You” requires us to deliver for players and communities, and because ambition depends on consistent follow-through to succeed, we must be reliable.

We are Generous

The National Lottery exists to support communities. Because we only succeed when others succeed and when given the opportunity, within our own community of colleagues, we must be generous.

We are Ambitious

Because what we do is essential to Ireland’s communities, brings enjoyment to customers, is valued by stakeholders and represents our professional worth, we must be ambitious.  

Recent Developments 

Premier Lotteries Ireland commenced operations on 30th November 2014 having successfully installed over 20,000 pieces of equipment in its retail network of 3,700 agents throughout Ireland. Since November 2014 PLI’s new system has successfully handled 30 different lottery draws each week as well as processing over 4 million sales and prize payment transactions on a weekly basis.  

Principal suppliers to PLI

Intralot provides the set-up, maintenance and support of software platforms and retail terminals for the National Lottery. Intralot is one of the top three lottery technology providers worldwide. It was the first international vendor in the gaming sector to be certified according to the World Lottery Association (WLA) Security Control Standard and operates to the highest standards of the global lottery industry.

Camelot Lottery Solutions provides consultancy services to PLI and has assisted with the delivery of the ambitious technical and business transition programme undertaken by PLI following the awarding of the new National Lottery licence. Camelot Lottery Solutions draws upon extensive experience from the UK where it supports Europe’s largest interactive lottery. 

Pollard Banknote Limited provides security printing services to PLI and has been a supplier to the Irish National Lottery for more than 20 years.  Pollard Banknote is a leading supplier of scratch card games for over 25 years and serves over 60 lottery and charitable gaming organisations worldwide.

Premier Lotteries Ireland