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The 42FM
The Explainer
24 Jun 2025
Could you get in trouble for using a dodgy box?
00:00

An estimated one in five Irish households access live sport using a dodgy box - on this week’s show, Sinéad and Gavin explain the crackdown on their use, and the potential punishments for any user caught with a dodgy box.


They discuss the appetite among Gardaí for this crackdown, and how some broadcasters are seeking to take things into their own hands.


They also debate the moral question - why do so many people feel it is not wrong to use a dodgy box? Has it become unreasonably expensive to pay for sport legitimately? And can dodgy boxes ever really be fully stamped out?


Get in touch - sinead@thejournal.ie and gavincooney@the42.ie