Niall Quinn Slams “Discrimination” in Sports Funding Over Football’s Betting Tax Snub

Football is Ireland’s most played sport, but former international star Niall Quinn says it’s being treated like a second-class citizen—especially when it comes to the money.

Niall Quinn has had enough. The former Republic of Ireland striker isn’t mincing words anymore. He’s calling the Government’s refusal to direct betting tax revenue toward football what he believes it is—discrimination.

And not in some abstract way either. In euros. Hard cash. The kind football fans help generate every weekend.

Betting Tax Brings in Millions, But Football Sees None

Here’s the math: Ireland collects a 2% levy on all bets placed across the country. That adds up to around €105 million a year. A massive sum. But out of that, €99.1 million is handed over to one thing—horse and greyhound racing.

“It borders on discrimination,” said Quinn bluntly at a recent event, where he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. “Giving money to one set of sports and not football is simply wrong.”

He’s not being hyperbolic either. Betting patterns have changed. The old assumption that most Irish punters back horses or dogs doesn’t hold like it used to. Football, especially the Premier League and international fixtures, dominates the betting slips now.

Still, no share of that cash finds its way to the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) through this route.

Government Says Football Is Funded—Just Not Directly

The Department of Finance insists there’s no favoritism at play. Officials claim the betting tax isn’t ring-fenced for any one sport and that all revenue goes into a general fund. From there, it gets allocated through different programs, including sports grants.

Football, they argue, benefits from that pie too. The FAI receives annual grants, facility upgrades, and developmental support.

He argues it’s about proportions and principle. If most bets are on football, why is racing getting nearly the full cut?

Football Keeps Growing, But Funding Doesn’t Follow

The gap between football’s popularity and its financial support is growing wider. Here’s what we know:

Football is the most played sport in Ireland by participation numbers.
It’s increasingly the most bet-on sport in the country.
But in terms of direct exchequer support, it’s lagging far behind.

Quinn believes the whole system needs a rethink. Especially when grassroots clubs are struggling to maintain pitches, buy kits, and hire coaches, all while football’s betting revenue helps prop up the racing industry.

And racing isn’t short on cash. It receives consistent state backing, along with sponsorship from the betting industry itself.

A Long-Standing Frustration Comes to Boil

This isn’t a new opinion from Quinn. He was equally vocal when he served as interim deputy CEO of the FAI during the sport’s most turbulent time—the fallout from the financial and governance crisis in 2019.

He saw up close how underfunded the sport had become.

At that time, the FAI was nearly broke, buried in debt, and barely surviving. Yet even then, football still drew in players, fans, and, crucially, gamblers.

Quinn argued back then—and still now—that it’s absurd to ignore the source of this money.

“If you’re happy to take the bets, you have to be happy to give something back,” he said previously.

A Broken System or a Rigged One?

So, what’s stopping the government from spreading the wealth more evenly?

Well, for one thing, tradition. The Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund has been a political hot potato for years. Backed by strong rural constituencies and powerful lobbying, it’s protected.

Football, by contrast, is spread out. No single voting bloc, no heavy-hitting lobbyists.

Quinn’s comments are part of a wider call to shake up how sports are funded in Ireland.

He’s not alone. Grassroots organizers, local club officials, and even some politicians have begun asking whether it’s time to rethink the formula.

Here’s a quick snapshot comparing funding levels: