Paddy Power - Is it Safe or a Scam?

Paddy Power Ireland Review (2024)

Paddy Power has grown into one of the most powerful betting brands in the world, but the company has not forgotten its Irish roots.

Founded in the country and headquartered in Dublin to this day, Paddy Power remains one of the top betting sites for people in Ireland, whether they favour sports or the casino.

Anyone who is considering signing up for an account with Paddy Power is likely to have questions, though, about either their products or the security protections that are in place.

In order to answer those queries, we have put together this complete review of Paddy Power for players from Ireland. Read on for everything that you need to know about Paddy Power.

Paddy Power: A Brief History

While Paddy Power is now a behemoth of the gambling industry, the company's beginnings were relatively humble and the firm has come a long way since its early days.

Paddy Power was founded by Stewart Kenny, David Power and John Corcoran, with the three bookmakers deciding to team up and form a new brand. While this was deemed at the time to be quite a risky move, all three men had strong experience within the sector and made it work.

PP was set up in August 1988 and that year the company had a market share of just eight per cent in Ireland. In the 30 years that the firm has been in operation, this has shot up and in 2001 it stood at around a third.

Aggressive market expansion was one of the reasons behind the rapid rise for Paddy Power. The company opted to open shops in as many Irish high streets as possible, with the green branding of the firm becoming a very common presence in towns around the country.

In December 2000, the company was listed on the London Stock Exchange to fund expansion into the United Kingdom market, while the growth continued thanks to takeovers of the likes of independent bookmaker McGranaghan Racing.

Paddy Power also took a majority stake in Australian bookmaker Sportsbet.com.au and, by November 2011, it was Europe's largest bookmaker by total share value.

A merger with Betfair in 2015 took the company on to a whole new level, creating one of the biggest betting brands in the world, with the deal creating a new firm: Paddy Power Betfair.

Paddy Power's parent company is now named Flutter Entertainment, which also owns betting brands such as FanDuel, Fox Bet, Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars and Sky Bet. Flutter is now targeting expansion into the growing US market, where sports betting is slowly being legalised.

Paddy Power Products

While Paddy Power has a background in traditional sports betting in bookmaker shops, like most companies in the industry it has diversified its offering vastly in recent years.

Through its website and apps, Paddy Power now offers the following products:

• Sports
• Casino
• Live casino
• Games
• Poker
• Bingo
• Virtuals
• Lotteries
• Fantasy

Let's take a look at each section in more detail in the next part of our full Paddy Power review.

Paddy Power Sports Review

Sport remains the primary focus for Paddy Power, regardless of the large number of other products that are now offered by this betting brand. The sportsbook at Paddy Power is absolutely huge with a range of markets as strong as any other bookie in Ireland.

The main sports featured on the site are listed on a menu down the left-hand side of the page, including options such as football and horse racing, while there is also an A-Z that compiles the full offerings of the Paddy Power sportsbook.

This brings up more esoteric sports to bet on at Paddy Power, such as handball and volleyball, plus newer options like esports. Special bets such as those on politics and current affairs are also available on the Paddy Power site, with betting on TV shows often available as well.

Here, it is worth pointing out Paddy Power has a long history of offering unusual wagers to its customers. For example, the firm made headlines back in November 2008 when odds of 16/1 were offered on the new US president, Barack Obama, completing his first term. Many people felt this was a way for the company to be running a book on Obama to be assassinated.

Paddy Power has also run other controversial markets such as offering the chance to bet on the outcome of the South African trial of Oscar Pistorius, the athlete who shot his girlfriend dead. This drew more than 5,000 complaints to the United Kingdom Advertising Standards Authority, which was a record, with the story drawing attention from around the world.

These markets are usually nothing more than publicity stunts that are designed and aimed at raising the profile of the company. It is hard to argue they have not been successful given the stunning growth of Paddy Power into one of the largest betting companies on the planet.

Most of the Paddy Power sportsbook is fairly standard. There is a good emphasis on US sports, with users given markets on options such as NBA, NHL, and MLB. Irish users will also be pleased to see there are markets for Gaelic Games, as well as the League of Ireland in football.

It is fair to say that Paddy Power does focus on UK and Irish markets, but for major overseas events such as the NFL's annual Superbowl there will be plenty of betting options to pick from.

Value is strong at Paddy Power and their odds for major sports are often in line with the best available on the market. Added to this is the fact that Paddy Power runs a range of promotions such as money back specials, which makes their prices even more appealing to users. Enhanced odds and price boosts are offered on a regular basis by Paddy Power Ireland too.

Live betting is an area of the industry that continues to grow quickly, with in-play markets positioned front and centre on the Paddy Power site. This means anyone looking to place a wager on an event happening right now is likely to be able to find the right market fast. There is also a handy search function in place that can be used to find a desired match or market.

Along with live betting, mobile betting is becoming more important for bookmakers. Paddy Power hits the mark here with a rapid and responsive mobile site that works just as well on the small screen as it does on a laptop or desktop computer. There are also Paddy Power apps that are available to download on to iOS and Android devices, which we will come on to a bit later.

There is a bet builder option too, which gives players a chance to design their own wager. This is increasingly offered by bookmakers in Ireland, with Paddy Power ensuring their customers have the option to do this if none of the markets that are already offered are catching the eye.

While the PP betslip will calculate potential winnings for a mooted wager, Paddy Power is also home to an in-depth betting calculator on its sportsbook. Users might find this to be useful when putting together bets such as a weekend accumulator on the football, for example.

The Paddy Power website also has a section for the most popular bets on the site right now. This can be a handy way to see what markets other users are opting for and might flag up some interesting options to add to a betslip that might otherwise have been missed while browsing.

Additionally, Paddy Power hosts a blog where bet recommendations can be found for its sportsbook. A lot of other bookmakers have a blog but the PP blog is a more impressive offering, with the tone matching the irreverent style of its marketing and advertising.

While many Irish users may only be interested in betting on sports at Paddy Power, this is just the start when it comes to the long list of products offered by the company these days.

Paddy Power Casino Review

Most bookmakers in Ireland these days have an online casino and Paddy Power is no different. However, for some reason, the site puts its casino section under another header: Vegas.

The Paddy Power casino is likely to be a popular choice for those users who are not in the mood for sports betting, with plenty of different options to pick from on the site.

By clicking on the Vegas tab, account holders will be taken to the home page of the Paddy Power casino site. The same account can be used across all of the different Paddy Power betting products, which is a big tick in the box for this operator compared to some rivals.

At the Paddy Power casino, slots are the main focus. There is a clever daily jackpots feature, with a counter on the site showing the status of this regular offer. The amount in the jackpot has to be won at least once every 24 hours, so players always have a chance of triggering this.

Slot tournaments are becoming a lot more popular these days and Paddy Power is ahead of the curve when it comes to offering these. Some of the tournaments have prizes such as free spins, while for some there is a top cash prize on offer for the winner of the event. Irish-themed games are available in the slots library and there are even some exclusive slots that cannot be played elsewhere, with Paddy Power Mystery Gold probably the best of them.

There are sections for new games and popular titles at the Paddy Power casino, which is very easy to navigate no matter what type of device or computer is being used to play. Users can also opt to tag games their favourites, which will make it a lot easier to find them on repeat visits to the site. This is a handy feature that a lot of other sites should implement too.

Paddy Power's casino is a strong offering, complemented by a games section and a live casino.

Paddy Power Live Casino Review

The Paddy Power live casino is growing in popularity, with the social experience provided by this type of game appealing to a lot of players in Ireland right now.

At the live casino on the Paddy Power site, users can find plenty of versions of casino classics like roulette and blackjack. There is even a roulette game based on the popular slot Age of the Gods, as well as a special football-themed roulette option that gets a lot of attention too.

On top of these games, players can opt to play Monopoly, Crazy Time or Dream Catcher at the Paddy Power live casino, which does not need any special software to be downloaded.

Games at the Paddy Power live casino are streamed live in HD and the dealers are friendly and professional, as well as being happy to chat to players at the table. It is a great experience.

Paddy Power Games Review

A separate games section is another offshoot of the Paddy Power casino, with even more slots.

Jackpots with millions of euros up for grabs are available here, but it is not clear why the games section needs to be split apart from the Paddy Power Vegas page.

Basic casino classic table games such as roulette and blackjack are available here, with plenty of different options for people with accounts on the Paddy Power site to pick from. Premium blackjack and roulette games are offered for those who want to play with higher stakes, but users who have a more limited budget can find plenty of games that will suit them as well.

As is the case with a lot of the other Paddy Power products, there are special promotions, bonuses and offers that can be claimed in the games section. These are updated on a regular basis, so it is worth checking back every now and again to see what is up for grabs.

There is a search bar on the games section too, so if there is a particular title that a player wants to find, it should be simple enough to locate it within a matter of seconds.

Add in the fact there are many exclusive PP games and this section is well worth a visit. Not for nothing was Paddy Power named Casino Operator of the Year in 2015 at the EGR Awards.

Paddy Power Poker Review

Irish poker fans might usually prefer to visit a specialist site to play their favourite game, but Paddy Power has joined rival operators in the industry by creating its own online poker room.

The Paddy Power poker site is quite basic as it requires players to download software to access the lobby. This is similar to how poker works at Betfair, which makes sense as the two gambling giants are both part of the same betting company - Flutter Entertainment - following a merger.

It is therefore not easy to just flick between the Paddy Power sportsbook and the PP poker room, which may put some people off from trying their luck by taking a seat at the table.

PP poker tournaments come with a range of entry points, so those who are new to the game can test out their skills with minimum outlay, while expert players can risk more of their cash on the turn of the cards. There really is something for all types of poker players on the PP site.

The Paddy Power Online Poker Loyalty Bonus is another reason to choose this operator rather than a rival. The rewards scheme works in the same way as a similar offer at Betfair, with players given 25 points for every €1 that they have spent at the tables. Points can then be converted into prizes and more are earned as players move through the tier system to Gold.

Paddy Power Bingo Review

Online bingo is offered by Paddy Power too and the lobby in this section of the site does not require any additional software to be downloaded, as is the case with Paddy Power Poker.

There are standard 75, 80 and 90-ball games to pick from as well as bingo games that are based on TV shows such as Deal or No Deal and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

Newcomers to playing online bingo will find Paddy Power's guides and tutorials to be very handy, though it is simple enough to pick up and play the game on the site.

There are rooms for various levels of stakes, so those who only want to play penny ticket games can do so, while others who want to play for bigger money have this option too.

Progressive bingo titles are offered on the site too, giving the chance to win a lump sum. But perhaps the best thing about bingo at Paddy Power is the opportunity to try games out for free.

In the bingo section of the Paddy Power site, users can find yet more slot games, as well as Slingo, scratch cards and much more. The variety is more than satisfactory at PP bingo.

Paddy Power Virtuals Review

Virtuals are becoming popular at betting sites around the world, so it is no surprise to see Paddy Power has a special section of the site for these types of wagers.

The process of placing a bet on virtual sports at Paddy Power is exactly the same as for real-life action. This means it is a quick and easy alternative in the event that there are no real sports to bet on, perhaps due to the time of the day or because bad weather has led to cancellations.

Football and horse racing are among the virtual sports available to bet on at Paddy Power.

Paddy Power Lotteries Review

Lotteries and bookmakers might seem like an unusual fit but Paddy Power joins the list of online betting sites offering this option.

The lotteries section on Paddy Power offers players the chance to have a bet on the outcome of the relevant lottery.

Paddy Power lotto bets that are offered include the Irish Lotto and the New York Lottery, as well as options from around Europe such as the Spanish Primitiva.

Special bonuses and promotions for Paddy Power lotteries are also available to be claimed.

Paddy Power Fantasy Review

Fantasy sports are big business these days and Paddy Power has arguably the strongest offering of any British or Irish bookmaker when it comes to this type of product.

This is likely due to the fact that Paddy Power is part of the same company as FanDuel, which is a leading light in the world of fantasy sports in the United States.

At Paddy Power fantasy, players can currently play games from different sports, including:

• American football
• Baseball
• Basketball
• Golf
• Hockey
• Tennis
• Football

Even more types of sport are likely to be added in the future, so it is worth checking back often. Naturally, the sports available at Paddy Power fantasy depend on which seasons are ongoing.

While sports fans in Ireland might be used to fantasy football lasting the whole season, there are contests at Paddy Power that last for a single day, meaning the result is much faster.

The chance to win real money from fantasy sports knowledge is also likely to attract a lot of people to sign up and play these games on the Paddy Power site.

Scores are updated live at Paddy Power fantasy, so players can see whether or not their selections are likely to land them in the winning placings to bank them a profit.

It is quick and easy to navigate around the Paddy Power fantasy site. The lobby allows people to search for games by sport or list the available options by the stake needed to enter.

Tournaments for all types of budget are offered too. Newcomers to playing daily fantasy sports might only want to play with a small amount of money until they get used to how it all works.

Experts in daily fantasy sports will find that there are high-stakes tournaments at Paddy Power that offer large prize funds, so there is something for everyone at this section of the site. Indeed, there is even a regular €1 million first prize that is up for grabs on NFL Sundays at Paddy Power.

Overall, it is fair to say Paddy Power is well ahead of most of its Irish and British competition when it comes to daily fantasy sports. It is a fantastic option for those who want to try out a new type of sports betting that is set to explode in popularity over the coming months and years.

Paddy Power Gambling Apps

Like most bookmakers these days, Paddy Power has created betting apps for use on mobile devices.

Mobile betting is a huge part of the industry, with many people wanting to bet while on the go.

While some of the company's top rivals in the industry have opted to include all of their products in the same software, Paddy Power has opted to split them up instead.

A range of different apps can therefore be downloaded by Paddy Power users, including these:

• Paddy Power Sports Betting
• Paddy Power Games
• Paddy Power Live Casino

Paddy Power Sports Betting is available to download from both the Play Store on to Android devices and the App Store for those with Apple devices. All the same markets and sports can be found on the Paddy Power Sports Betting app, which makes it rapid to place a bet while out and about, even on live events that are ongoing. Live streaming for more than 100,000 sporting events each year can also be accessed through the Paddy Power app, which is great news for Irish users who want to follow the action live. A four-digit PIN or fingerprint can be added to make the login process secure as well, for those who are security-conscious. While some rare technological issues may arise when using the Paddy Power Sports Betting app, most people will find it is a seamless experience when switching from the desktop website.

Also available for iOS and Android devices, Paddy Power Games is the choice for Irish users who want to be able to access the more than 150 casino games that are offered by PP. Graphics have been specially optimised so they look great on mobile and the games work fantastically well too. Paddy Power Games offers an outstanding mobile betting experience for those who want the thrill of the casino from a device that fits in their pocket or palm of their hand. Blackjack and roulette games can also be found on the Paddy Power Games iOS and Android app, but it is likely to be slots that are the primary draw for most people who opt to download it. Search filters are included in the app to make it as easy to find the right games to play.

Paddy Power Live Casino completes the set of apps from this operator that can be downloaded onto iOS and Android devices. The live casino at Paddy Power is one of the strongest products the company has to offer, so it is no surprise to see it has its own app. On the Paddy Power Live Casino, users can expect to see the full suite of games that are offered in this section of the main website, so there is everything from roulette and blackjack to Monopoly and Crazy Time, along with many more. A lot of the games on the Paddy Power Live Casino app are made by Evolution Gaming, which is widely considered to be the top developer when it comes to live casino games for both desktop and mobile. The Paddy Power Live Casino app is a pleasure to use, with the HD streams ensuring that the picture is crystal-clear.

Paddy Power Security and Regulation

Security is taken seriously at Paddy Power these days, so account holders should not have to worry about their data falling into the wrong hands.

However, it is worth noting there was an incident a few years ago when Paddy Power drew censure from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) after an incident where the data of almost 650,000 users was accessed by a hacker. The ICO said Paddy Power did not inform it of the breach for a number of years but the company said in a statement that "no financial information or customer passwords were compromised in the isolated incident and customers’ accounts are not at risk as a result".

Paddy Power is PCI certified and has an annual PCI validation by an external and independent PCI Qualified Security Assessor. Paddy Power is also ISO27001 certified, which is the global standard for Information Security Management. Automated tools are used to scan the site for any security issues, while data centre servers that are physically secured with biometrics, guards and cameras.

On the regulation side, PPB Counterparty Services Limited is licensed and regulated by the Malta Gaming Authority. Paddy Power is regulated by the Gambling Commission in the UK. As the company takes risks, it has sometimes been slapped on the wrists by this body, however.

For example, a couple of years ago, the Gambling Commission hit Paddy Power Betfair with a fine of more than £2 million by the Gambling Commission. It was claimed that Paddy Power Betfair was guilty of failing to protect customers showing signs of problem gambling.

Paddy Power Betfair was also told that the company was failing to carry out adequate anti-money-laundering checks, but there are signs that improvements have since been made.