206. (1) A political party may apply to the District Court for a licence (in this section referred to as a “lottery licence”) to promote periodical lotteries.

(2) An application under subsection (1) shall—

(a) be accompanied by a fee of €150, and

(b) be made to the District Court not less than 60 days before the first day on which it is intended to promote the lottery to which the application relates.

(3) When considering an application for a lottery licence, a District Court judge shall have regard to the purpose of the lottery concerned.

(4) The superintendent of the Garda Síochána for the district in which the lottery is to be held and any other person who appears to the court to be interested may appear and adduce evidence in relation to the application.

(5) Subject to subsection (10), the District Court shall either grant the application and issue the lottery licence or refuse the application.

(6) A lottery licence issued under subsection (5) shall continue in force for such period, not exceeding 12 months, as may be specified in the licence.

(7) An application under subsection (1) shall be made to a judge of the District Court assigned to the District Court district in which it is proposed to promote the lottery.

(8) A political party to which a lottery licence has been issued under subsection (5) shall not transfer that licence to any other person and any such purported transfer shall be void and of no effect.

(9) A political party to which a lottery licence has been issued under subsection (5) shall not accept a stake from a person under the age of 18 years in relation to the lottery.

(10) A lottery licence shall be issued subject to the following conditions:

(a) the value of each prize and the name of the intended beneficiary of the lottery shall be stated on every ticket or coupon or, where the lottery is conducted in a premises, prominently displayed at the normal means of access to the premises proposed to be used;

(b) the total value of the prizes shall—

(i) if more than one lottery is held in any week, be not more than €30,000, or

(ii) if one lottery is held in any year, be not more than €360,000.

(11) A political party to which a lottery licence has been issued under subsection (5) shall comply with the conditions of the lottery licence.

(12) The District Court clerk for the District Court district in which the application under subsection (1) was made shall keep a register of all lottery licences issued under subsection (5).

(13) Every register maintained under subsection (12) may be maintained electronically and shall be available for inspection at all reasonable times by members of the public.

(14) (a) A political party which contravenes subsection (9) or (11) shall be guilty of an offence.

(b) Where a political party is charged with an offence under subsection (9), it shall be a good defence to such charge to prove that the political party took reasonable steps to verify the age of the person in respect of whom such offence is alleged to have been committed.

(15) In this Part, “lottery” includes all competitions for money or money's worth involving guesses or estimates of future events or of past events the results of which are not yet ascertained or not yet generally known.