Cavan has topped the list of counties in Ireland where people search for ways to avoid paying their TV licence.
Amidst the ongoing RTE payments scandal, there has been much debate in recent days about the national broadcaster's spending and where the money from your TV licence fee actually goes.
The TV licence is required by law for anyone who owns a television in their home and costs €160 a year. If you don't pay, it can land you in a court with a fine of up to €1,000.
READ MORE: Five reasons you can legally avoid paying the €160 TV licence fee
However, some households may be exempt as there are certain conditions to fulfil that legally allow you to skip out of paying the TV licence fee - such as qualifying for the Household Benefits Package. But it seems that people in some counties in Ireland are more keen to avoid paying than others.
New data gathered from Google Searches by Casinos.com shows that Cavan is the county that searched the most for information on 'How to Avoid Paying the TV licence'.
The second highest search for dodging the TV licence was in Westmeath followed by Dublin in the third spot and then Limerick, Kilkenny and Kildare.
The results show that on average, 500 people a month in Ireland search for how to avoid paying their TV licence.
Some of the most 'honest' counties in Ireland, where people showed the least interest in dodging the annual fee, were Tipperary, Clare and Waterford.
Recent figures from An Post showed that €152 million in revenue had been generated from the TV licence fee last year.
The national broadcaster has previously complained that there is a failure to collect around €65 million worth of TV licence fees annually.
A spokesperson for Casinos.com said: “We began measuring the daily search volume for this research a few days after the news about RTE made headlines in June. It became clear that people some counties were searching for how to avoid paying the TV licence more than others and this volume of people will only increase in the months ahead you would expect, especially in the aftermath of what has happened at RTE. People will be far less willing to part ways with €160 now that they know where some of it goes.
“With that said, it’s important to note also that the volume of people searching how to avoid paying the TV license is still very low, so it’s a very small percent of the population who are actually Googling this."
