How Ireland Measures National Lottery Community Impact

Ireland’s National Lottery community impact is measured through more than the amount transferred to Good Causes. An independent assessment covering 2018-2024 combines financial data, beneficiary surveys, volunteering estimates and employment modelling to examine how funding is connected with wider social and economic effects.

Why community impact needs more than one number

The phrase National Lottery community impact in Ireland can sound as though it should be answered by a single figure. The amount directed to Good Causes is an important starting point, but it does not show the full picture on its own. It does not explain what beneficiary organisations report about the role of funding, how volunteering is valued, or how employment and wider economic effects are estimated.

Indecon’s independent socio-economic assessment was commissioned to update earlier research on the National Lottery’s economic and social impact in Ireland. It covers the period from 2018 through 2024 and examines direct funding, beneficiary organisations, volunteering, employment and wider economic effects.

The assessment therefore uses several measures rather than treating Good Causes funding as a complete measure of impact. It considers the money generated for Good Causes, the organisations that receive National Lottery part-funding, the volunteers associated with those organisations and the economic effects estimated through modelling.

For readers who want to follow lottery activity in Ireland, Ireland lottery results provide the draw-results side of the picture. The socio-economic assessment addresses a different question: what wider effects are associated with the funding and activity connected with the National Lottery?

From Good Causes proceeds to practical impact

The assessment estimated that National Lottery players generated €6.9 billion for Good Causes from the lottery’s establishment through 2024. In 2024 alone, Good Causes funding amounted to €239.3 million.

The 2024 National Lottery annual report, which is separate from Indecon’s independent assessment, reported that Good Causes funding increased by 5% from 2023 and reached €239.3 million. The same annual report stated that funding averaged €4.6 million per week during 2024.

Keeping these sources distinct matters. The €6.9 billion estimate and the wider impact estimates come from Indecon’s assessment. The 5% increase and weekly average come from the National Lottery’s 2024 annual report. They describe related parts of the funding picture, but they are not interchangeable measures and should not be presented as though they came from one analysis.

The funding totals describe scale. They do not, by themselves, measure every outcome associated with the organisations and activities that receive support. That is why the assessment also considers beneficiary evidence, volunteering, employment and wider economic effects.

The assessment separated direct expenditure from wider economic impact. It estimated that €239.3 million of direct Good Causes expenditure in 2024 generated €393 million of wider economic impact when multiplier effects were included. The first figure concerns direct expenditure. The second is an estimate that includes additional effects calculated through the assessment’s economic model.

This distinction prevents two different measures from being treated as though they describe the same thing. Direct funding records the amount of Good Causes expenditure. Wider impact estimates the economic activity associated with that expenditure after multiplier effects are included.

How the independent assessment built its evidence

The assessment used several sources rather than relying on a single administrative total. These included National Lottery financial data, government estimates, Central Statistics Office datasets, market research and new surveys of retailers and beneficiary organisations.

The beneficiary research received responses from 186 organisations that received National Lottery part-funding. A separate research exercise received responses from 355 National Lottery retail agents. These groups provide different forms of evidence. Beneficiary organisations can report on the role of the funding in their own operations, while retail agents provide a separate source of evidence about the lottery’s wider community and economic effects.

The assessment also used Central Statistics Office data and an Indecon sectoral input-output model to estimate employment, output and income impacts. Those estimates were supplemented by surveys of retailers and Good Causes beneficiaries.

This combination helps explain what the report does and does not claim. Financial data records funding. Survey responses record what participating organisations and retail agents reported. Official datasets provide economic information used in the analysis. The input-output model estimates employment, output and income effects across connected parts of the economy.

The result is a broader picture than a headline proceeds figure, but each part of the picture should still be read according to its method. A survey finding is not the same as a financial total, and a modelled multiplier effect is not the same as a direct payment.

What beneficiary organisations reported

The most direct evidence about National Lottery funding beneficiaries in Ireland comes from the organisations that receive part-funding. Their responses indicate that the practical importance of the support varies, but can be substantial for some organisations.

Thirteen percent of surveyed beneficiary organisations reported that they could not operate without National Lottery support. A broader measure found that 59% said they either could not operate or would face significant service reductions without it.

These findings describe what surveyed beneficiary organisations reported about their own position. They do not mean that every organisation receiving support faces the same level of dependence. They do show why a funding total alone can miss an important part of the story. For some organisations, the relevant issue is not simply whether funding adds capacity, but whether the organisation could continue operating or avoid significant service reductions without it.

The wording of the second finding is important. An organisation that would face significant service reductions might not cease operating entirely. The assessment’s result covers both organisations that could not operate and organisations that reported that their services would be significantly reduced without National Lottery support.

The beneficiary research also does not establish that National Lottery funding is the only source of support for these organisations. The verified description of the research identifies them as organisations receiving National Lottery part-funding. The findings show how those organisations assessed the practical importance of that contribution.

Because the research received responses from 186 organisations, the findings should be understood as survey evidence from participating beneficiaries. They are useful for showing reported experience, while not being a claim that every beneficiary organisation would give the same response.

Where support is concentrated

The assessment estimated that sports and recreation accounted for 40% of National Lottery support to beneficiaries, while the arts accounted for 31%.

These shares indicate the estimated distribution of support across two areas. They do not provide a complete breakdown of every beneficiary or every activity supported by Good Causes funding. They also do not measure the effectiveness of one area against another.

The figures answer a distribution question: where was an estimated share of support directed? They do not, on their own, answer an outcome question about what changed as a result of the support.

That distinction is important when reading sector figures. A percentage of support describes allocation or distribution. It does not automatically describe the number of people reached, the quality of a service, the extent of participation or the long-term result of a project. Those questions would require different evidence.

The sector figures are therefore best read alongside the beneficiary survey and the assessment’s other measures. Together, they show both where support was estimated to go and how participating organisations described its importance.

Volunteering adds a human measure

One of the assessment’s notable measures is volunteering. It estimated that National Lottery Good Causes funding had enabled nearly 185,000 volunteers in beneficiary organisations nationally. The total economic value of that volunteering was estimated at €141 million in 2025.

This measure adds context that can be missed when attention is focused only on funding flows. The number of volunteers indicates the scale of participation associated with beneficiary organisations. The €141 million figure attempts to express the economic value of that volunteering within the assessment’s framework.

The timing of the valuation must remain clear. The main socio-economic assessment covers the National Lottery’s impact from 2018 through 2024, while the estimated economic value of volunteering is stated as a 2025 valuation. The €141 million figure should not be presented as a 2024 figure.

The €141 million amount is an estimated economic value, not a cash payment to volunteers or beneficiary organisations. It is a valuation used in the assessment. The nearly 185,000 figure refers to the estimated number of volunteers in beneficiary organisations nationally.

Together, the two measures broaden the meaning of Good Causes funding impact. Funding is one part of the picture, while participation through volunteering is another. The figures should not be combined with the direct funding total, because they measure different things and use different units.

Employment and the wider economy

The assessment also examined employment. It estimated that National Lottery activity supported 14,106 full-time-equivalent jobs directly in 2024 and 18,318 jobs when indirect and induced effects were included.

The two employment figures reflect different scopes. The 14,106 figure is the estimate for direct full-time-equivalent jobs. The 18,318 figure includes indirect and induced effects as well. These are modelled employment estimates, not a list of named individuals.

The assessment also estimated that the National Lottery contributed €2.1 billion to Irish economic output in 2024 when its consumption effects and the economic impact of supporting beneficiary organisations were combined.

The €2.1 billion output estimate is not the same as Good Causes funding. It is also not the same as the €393 million estimate of wider economic impact from 2024 Good Causes expenditure. The measures use different scopes and answer different questions.

The €393 million figure concerns the wider economic impact of €239.3 million in direct Good Causes expenditure when multiplier effects are included. The €2.1 billion figure combines consumption effects with the economic impact of supporting beneficiary organisations. The assessment presents them as separate measures of economic activity.

These estimates place National Lottery socio-economic impact in Ireland in a wider frame. The assessment considers not only the flow of funding but also employment, output and income impacts estimated using Central Statistics Office data, an Indecon sectoral input-output model and survey evidence.

How to read the headline figures

Several numbers appear in discussions of Ireland’s National Lottery community impact, but they should not be added together or compared without considering what each one measures.

The €6.9 billion figure is the estimated Good Causes total generated from the lottery’s establishment through 2024. The €239.3 million figure is Good Causes funding in 2024. The 5% increase and €4.6 million weekly average are figures reported in the National Lottery’s 2024 annual report. The €393 million figure is Indecon’s estimate of wider economic impact from 2024 Good Causes funding when multiplier effects are included.

The €2.1 billion figure is an estimate of the National Lottery’s contribution to Irish economic output in 2024 when consumption effects and the economic impact of supporting beneficiary organisations were combined. It should not be read as additional Good Causes funding.

The employment estimates use full-time-equivalent jobs. The volunteering estimate refers to nearly 185,000 volunteers and an estimated €141 million economic value in 2025. The beneficiary findings are based on responses from 186 organisations, while the retailer research received responses from 355 retail agents.

Each measure has a different role. Funding totals show scale. Survey responses show reported organisational experience. The volunteering estimate shows participation and a modelled value. Employment and output estimates show wider economic relationships calculated through the assessment’s methods.

None of these measures replaces the others. Nor should they be treated as though they all describe direct cash transfers or identical outcomes. A careful reading keeps the measures separate while considering how they contribute to an overall account of community and economic impact.

What the assessment adds to the public picture

The independent assessment provides a framework for understanding lottery-funded community impact without reducing it to a single headline. It combines the scale of Good Causes funding with evidence from beneficiary organisations, retail agents, official datasets and economic modelling.

The findings show why the practical experience of beneficiary organisations matters. The reported 13% and 59% findings add information about operational dependence and potential service reductions that cannot be seen from a funding total alone.

The sector estimates add another layer by showing that sports and recreation accounted for an estimated 40% of support to beneficiaries and the arts accounted for 31%. These shares describe distribution, not outcomes, but they help show how the assessment categorised support.

The volunteering estimate adds a participation measure, while the employment and output estimates add economic measures. Nearly 185,000 volunteers, 14,106 direct full-time-equivalent jobs, 18,318 jobs including indirect and induced effects, and €2.1 billion in estimated economic output do not describe the same result. They are separate indicators produced or reported within the assessment’s broader analysis.

The most useful distinction is between what is directly recorded and what is estimated. Funding totals and survey responses describe particular parts of the evidence. Multiplier effects, employment, output and the economic value of volunteering are estimates produced through the assessment’s methods. Keeping that distinction clear makes the findings easier to understand.

The central lesson is that community impact is multi-dimensional. It includes the scale of Good Causes funding, the reported experience of beneficiary organisations, the estimated contribution of volunteers, employment associated with National Lottery activity and wider economic effects. These strands should be considered together without collapsing them into one number.

Responsible play

Lottery play should remain within a personal spending limit, and the community impact described in this article should not be used as a reason to spend more. Treat lottery participation as entertainment and only use money that you can afford to lose.

FAQ: What period does the assessment cover?

Indecon’s independent socio-economic assessment covers the National Lottery’s economic and social impact in Ireland from 2018 through 2024. It was commissioned to update earlier research.

FAQ: How many beneficiary organisations responded to the research?

The beneficiary research received responses from 186 organisations that received National Lottery part-funding.

FAQ: How many retail agents responded?

The research received responses from 355 National Lottery retail agents. Their responses provided a separate source of evidence about the lottery’s wider community and economic effects.

FAQ: How important did organisations say the funding was?

Thirteen percent of surveyed beneficiary organisations said they could not operate without National Lottery support. Overall, 59% said they either could not operate or would face significant service reductions without it.

FAQ: How many volunteers did the assessment associate with the funding?

The assessment estimated that Good Causes funding had enabled nearly 185,000 volunteers in beneficiary organisations nationally. It estimated the total economic value of that volunteering at €141 million in 2025. That valuation is separate from the assessment’s 2018-2024 impact period.

FAQ: What sectors received the largest estimated shares of support?

Sports and recreation accounted for an estimated 40% of National Lottery support to beneficiaries, while the arts accounted for 31%.

FAQ: What is the difference between direct and wider economic impact?

Direct expenditure records the funding spent. Wider economic impact includes multiplier effects estimated through the assessment’s economic model. For 2024, the assessment estimated €239.3 million in direct Good Causes expenditure and €393 million in wider economic impact.

Disclaimer

This article is for general informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not legal, tax, financial, or professional advice. Rules and circumstances vary by location and can change; verify details with the official lottery operator or regulator and consult a qualified professional for advice about your situation.