THE Irish airline Ryanair is promoting a lottery on its website that would break UK gambling laws. But the government is powerless to block the offer.

Anyone who buys a return flight on the Ryanair website between now and November 30 — for travel up to December 21 — is automatically entered into a prize draw to win €100,000 (£69,000).

The airline has set up the draw to celebrate carrying a total of 100m passengers since it started in 1985.

Michael O’Leary, chief executive, said: “We would urge passengers to start booking immediately. You could end up flying high with €100,000.”

However, this type of draw is illegal in the UK for two reasons. First, British companies cannot run lotteries for profit. Only the national lottery and draws for charitable purposes are allowed.

But Ryanair stands to profit from this offer because you have to buy a flight with the airline to enter in the draw.

Second, prize draws in the UK must involve some element of skill, even if you only have to answer a simple question to take part.

If the gambling bill, published on Tuesday, becomes law, the definition of a prize draw will be tightened up. Competition operators will have to use a test that excludes at least a certain number of people.

Anthony Wright of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said: “Some of the questions used are so simple that no element of skill is required, which is not really the idea.”

The government cannot tell the airline to change or remove its offer because Ryanair is based in Ireland and therefore outside its jurisdiction. A spokesman for Ryanair said its offer was legal under Irish gambling laws. “We are approaching a historic passenger landmark and are offering passengers who fulfil the stated booking and travel conditions the chance to win €100,000 to mark this milestone,” he said. “A draw will take place and the eventual winner will have to correctly answer a skill-based question. This conforms to Irish prize-draw regulations.”

Wright said that Ryanair would not be able to run the competition if it was based in the UK.

“There is nothing we can do,” he said. “But it does highlight the problem of UK consumers being targeted by overseas companies with lotteries and other gambling opportunities that companies based in Britain cannot offer. The gambling bill would not close this loophole because there is nothing we can do about other countries’ legislation.”