Who actually regulates it
The National Lottery is overseen by the Office of the Regulator of the National Lottery (ORNL), an independent statutory office established under the National Lottery Act 2013. It's a separate body entirely from GRAI, with its own legislation, its own remit, and its own complaints process.
Who operates it
Premier Lotteries Ireland (DAC) holds the licence to operate the National Lottery — a 20-year licence in place since November 2014, issued by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. Premier Lotteries Ireland is a private company; its owner, the French lottery operator Française des Jeux (FDJ), acquired it in November 2023.
Why the carve-out exists
GRAI's own remit is explicit about this: it regulates gambling, betting, and gaming online and in person in Ireland, with the exception of the National Lottery. GRAI does license and regulate certain other lotteries, including bingo — the exclusion is specific to the National Lottery itself, not lotteries as a category.
Related reading
See GRAI vs MGA vs UKGC for how GRAI's actual remit compares to foreign regulators, and the registry for what GRAI does track today.