About Paddy Power
Paddy Power is one of the biggest sportsbooks in the industry. They made a net income of £144.9 million in 2014 and have gone from strength to strength since the company’s inception in 1988. The brand actually came from pretty subdued roots, with just a couple of betting shops dotted around Dublin, Ireland.
It was businessmen and bookmakers Stewart Kenny, David Power and John Corcoran that decided to merge their fleet of stores and create one brand, Paddy Power. The trio initially started with 40 stores between them, some operating under different names to the Paddy Power brand and before all stores eventually branded the same.
The company still operate over 350 stores across Ireland and the UK, with a workforce of over 1,300 people. But, these days they are much more targeted towards the online betting industry and it’s here where the company have really flourished.
What Paddy Power has never lost in the years of expansion is that Irish charm. They are the kings of marketing within the industry, but that hasn’t come without controversy. Their Twitter account is simply comedy gold and has more followers than any other bookmaker in the industry, with almost 600,000. The company have come under fire several times for their marketing campaigns, with some of the more popular (critical) being that of weird betting markets such as the assassination of US President, Barrack Obama.
Other highly controversial campaigns have included an advert stating to spot the “stallions for the mare” at Cheltenham Festival in 2014 where they placed transgender amongst the crowd and then having people trying to spot which is which. Paddy Power also came under wraps when Danish football Nicklas Bendtner raised his shirt to reveal Paddy Power boxer shorts after scoring a goal, much to the disgust of UEFA and team sponsors, Ladbrokes of all people!
High Street Betting Shops
Paddy Power are probably one of the most controversial bookmakers industry. But, they are also one of the most entertaining. The Irish brand was initially set up by three independent bookmakers merging their stores to combine a total of 40 stores. Over the coming years this number would slowly start to increase and by the end of 2005 the company had 195 stores operating across Ireland and the UK. They now have over 300 stores in operation with around 200 being in Ireland and 100 across the UK.
In terms of the competition, Paddy Power’s high street presence is not even close to that of Ladbrokes, Coral or Betfred, but they are still regarded as one of the strongest high street brands in the industry. Even though the number of stores has slowly started to dwindle since 2010, the company seem very keen to remain in this marketplace, especially with the success they have on the streets of Ireland.
It’s tough to really pinpoint what the future lies for the high street stores from Paddy Power, but the slow decline in shops would indicate that they are concentrating more on their online appeal, rather than on the high street. But, rather than this being a criticism of Paddy Power, this is more down to the high street bookmaking industry, than anything else.
Paddy Power are one of the biggest betting companies around. Known for their in your face advertising and eye-catching special offers, the Irish company take bets in shops, on the phone and online. Paddy Power was founded in 1988 by the merger of three Irish bookmakers owned by Stewart Kenny, David Power and John Corcoran.
With 40 shops between them the trio were by no means small fry in Ireland but some clever branding in the form of traditional Irish green, the instantly recognisable name and an imaginative marketing department has helped the company to grow into one which is listed on both the Irish and UK stock exchanges. Paddy Power announced in the summer of 2015 that they were to merge with Betfair, however, the new company is going to continue to operate both sites and brands as distinct entities.
There is no doubt that Paddy Power are a very reputable betting company (they are licensed and regulated by the Gambling Commission in the UK) but they have never shied away from controversy in order to garner publicity. From paying out early on Premier League winners to taking bets on whether Barack Obama would “not finish” his first term in office (widely viewed as a bad taste “assassination market”), Paddy Power’s headline-grabbing antics have certainly helped fuel their rapid growth.
Odds & Markets
Paddy Power has one of the best odds structures in the industry. The company are a multi-billion pound outfit these days, so you would expect that they could compete with the best; and they do! We tested a number of markets from a number of different sports within Paddy Power and found that for each market we tested, they continued to be up there or thereabouts with the best price in the business. There are were several times they were best priced as well, which comes in very handy, especially for multiples. Paddy Power are synonymous for providing betting enhancements and price boosts, which again adds to the depth of the bookmaker, making them an obvious choice.
The range of markets on offer, as you would expect, is excellent at Paddy Power. They tick all the boxes to be honest, but do particularly stand out when it comes to betting on either football or horse racing. They have a ton of markets to choose from when it comes to football and we loved the fact they add in ‘Specials’ for this section allowing them to add in a few curve balls, just to keep things interesting and feeling fresh.
Features
The Paddy Power website does not let them down after all the advertising they give it. The first thing you notice is that it looks great. The company’s distinctive green is everywhere and the massive number of betting markets that they offer are well set out. Too often you can get bewildered by betting sites but navigating your way to the market you are looking for is a doddle with Paddy Power. The biggest in-play markets are displayed on the home page and there is a ‘Quick Links’ section on the top left with the most popular sports and up-coming events. Once you’ve found the event you’re looking for it’s not just odds that you will find, there are helpful stats and links to live streaming if it is available on that event.
The number of markets that the Paddy Power traders have priced up is incredibly impressive. Not only can you place a bet on any sport you could ever wish, Paddy Power take bets on TV shows and current affairs events. They also get prices up nice and early compared to many of their competitors and their novelty markets are always good for a fun bet. In terms of betting value, Paddy Power are regularly top priced on both pre-play and in-play betting so you can be sure to get fair payouts on your winning bets. They also offer the ability to cash your bets out in-play which gives you a good amount of control over your betting.
With Paddy Power you can watch a large number of events that you’ve had a bet on with their live streaming service. Another impressive element of Paddy Power’s site is their customer service. They are one of the biggest betting companies in the world but should you encounter any issues you can contact them via email, on social media, on the phone or through their live chat service and you invariably get a positive response.
In Play Betting
Paddy Power are pretty awesome at in play betting, but you wouldn’t really expect anything less from one of the biggest bookmakers in the world. What’s great about this section on the site is the sheer volume of sports that they cover. At the time of writing over the next 24 hours Paddy Power are showing in play markets from 18 different sports with everything from football to mini games!
We need to mention that these sports are all really well covered by the number of markets that are on offer for each sport. Football undoubtedly has the most, but within each is a great range. The design of the in play section is quality also, with the ability to see odds as they drift and as they shorten as games start to progress.
Live Streaming
The live streaming section is mainly made up of both football and tennis matches, but they do include other games from a number of sports as well. It’s completely free to access as well and all you need to do is be logged into your Paddy Power account with no need to have any funds or to have placed at bet recently.
The horse racing section also features live races in there, but for this you will need to have wagered at least £1 on that specific race to view it.
Cash Out
Cash out can be used on site, although there is no partial cash out option as of yet. The process can also be use with bets placed in any of their high street shops, simply by entering the code on your betting slip.
Stats
At Paddy Power you are going to be able to tap into their inFormer stats section, which is set up around their horse racing markets. It’s here that you will be able to go through each race on the site in massive detail including horse and jockey form, along with tips and a predictor as to how that race might pan out.