The Department of Finance was not asked to approve the National Lottery's decision to open exploratory talks between the National Lottery and a US-backed casino operator in the early 1990s, according to a Government spokesman.
He said late last night that the Department of Finance was "merely advised after the event" about the contacts between the State lottery and the casino company.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern yesterday said he had been "broadly in favour" of the plans by the company, Sonas, to build a stadium, conference centre and other facilities in the Phoenix Park.
"I was broadly in favour of the development, as most people were, because it was providing 2,500 jobs and lots of construction jobs," he said, "but I was totally opposed to the gambling end of it, because all through my political career I had opposed one-armed bandits in the 1980s. That is why they weren't in the end able to fund it."
The National Lottery was not required to get the permission of the Department of Finance for talks with Sonas, though it did notify civil servants that they were going on.
Mr Ahern yesterday answered questions about the issue, which has been sparked by the intervention of the former An Post chief executive, John Hynes.
During occasionally testy exchanges, Mr Ahern said: "I think I was always opposed to gambling and to gambling machines. That was always my position. Thankfully, like everybody else, I take hospitality from people. There is nothing wrong with that."
He gave a commitment when he was elected leader of Fianna Fáil in 1994 that he would not give a licence for a gambling casino and he would not amend the law, he said.
Fianna Fáil faced strong attack on the issue during the 1996 byelection which followed the death of former minister for foreign affairs Brian Lenihan.
Then, some in Fianna Fáil strongly argued that the party needed to issue a constituency-wide letter opposing the centre, but this was opposed by a close adviser of Mr Ahern at the time.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Brian Lenihan, said Mr Ahern's "opposition to the development was on the public record. There is no casino here. It never happened. Why are we having an argument about something that never happened?"
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin was another publicly to row in behind the Taoiseach, insisting once more that the Oireachtas had set up the tribunal and that it should be allowed to finish its work.
In a statement late last night, the Government spokesman said reports that Mr Ahern, as minister for finance, was involved in National Lottery/Sonas contacts were "without foundation".
"Mr Ahern has always made it clear that he opposed the casino project both in government and in opposition. His views on this issue are already a matter of public record."
