Paddypower.com
Year established: 1988
Mobile compatible: Yes
Jurisdiction: Malta & UK
Overall rating: A+
Recommended: For recreational players
Paddy Power Sportsbook Review
Paddy Power are known for being what they’d call mischievous and what most others call controversial. The Irish bookmaker has established a reputation for itself as the bad boy of bookmaking, marketing stunts are frequently in bad taste with ‘It’s Oscar Time’ in which it opened betting on Oscar Pistorius during his trial, and sending Dennis Rodman to North Korea as a basketball ambassador, two memorable examples.
It typically avoids major sponsorships, and aims instead for creative backdoor marketing methods such as its 2010 Hollywood-esque sign on the Cleeve Hill near Cheltenham Festival.
A merger with Betfair saw the launch of Paddy Power-Betfair on February 2nd 2016. As the two pool their resources PP-Betfair will now doubtless become a juggernaut of betting. Paddy Power was founded in 1988 as a retail business in Ireland. By 2005 Paddy Power had 195 retail outlets, and following the acquisition of McGranaghan Racing this increased by 2008.
In 2010 the chain had further established itself in Great Britain, with 139 shops there and 356 overall. It acquired a majority stake in Aussie firm sportsbet.com.au in May 2010.
It continues to offer controversial markets, and many other bookmakers have tailored their marketing strategies in an attempt to mimic this due to the overriding success of Paddy Power’s campaigns. The PP Twitter has over 577k followers; by way of comparison Ladbrokes has 171k and William Hill has 155k.
Betting markets
Paddy Power offers a massive range of sports betting markets and we’ve been kind enough to list them all for you here: American Football, Athletics, Aussie Rules, Badminton, Baseball, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Bowls, Boxing, Cricket, Cycling, Darts, Football, GAA, Golf, Greyhounds, Handball, Hockey, Horse racing, Ice Hockey, Motor Racing, Netball, Olympics, Rowing, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Snooker, Squash, Table Tennis, Tennis, Ten Pin Bowling, UFC/MMA, Volleyball, Water Polo, Winter Sports and Esports.
This is in addition to Politics and Virtual Sports.
Paddy Power are also one of the keenest in terms of novelty bets which vary from current affairs, to television, entertainment and typically whichever celebrity figure has done something stupid.
In-play betting
As an innovative bookmaker Paddy Power has a put a lot of time and effort into its live betting product and the result is a good one. A number of sports are included, the graphics are simple and the layout is easy to get to grips with. The multi-view, in which you can drag and drop events as you desire, is particularly impressive and ensures that Paddy stands out above the vast majority of others in terms of in-play betting. This level of personalisation is not replicated as well elsewhere.
The Paddy Power live betting calendar is far better than most too. Paddy Power live streaming is a great addition too, but is not available in all countries.
Usability of the site
The Paddy Power product is modern, innovative and easy to navigate. Features such as Track My Bet, which connects retail bets with online accounts, and One Touch, for faster betting, show that this is a bookmaker which is keen to stay fresh and continue to offer customers new ways to bet and interact with its products.
The Paddy Power mobile app is strong too, and you can also text your bets which is a nice touch. Paddy Power customer support is offered via the Help Centre. The FAQs section is solid, there’s a specific @AskPaddyPower Twitter account, but one major issue is that it’s not that easy to actually talk to somebody directly.
Most online bookmakers incorporate a live chat feature and this is available on PP but it’s not simple to find.
Conclusion
Paddy Power offers great bonuses, strong odds, a huge range of markets on a variety of sports and the Paddy Power app is excellent too.
As the bookmaking kings of social media the Twitter is well worth a follow and there are regular fun and engaging contests to win free bets and other prizes. It’s innovative too meaning the site is regularly updated with new additions to make the betting experience more exciting and intuitive, but it’s important that PP doesn’t overlook the basics such as providing a top notch customer support system.
Advantages:
- The largest, reputable and solvent bookmaker on the Irish market;
- Long years of experience, financial stability;
- Massive company in Ireland, UK and Europe;
- Large network of betting shops;
- Great odds and a wide selection of sporting markets;
- The best offer for events outside of sports (culture, entertainment, music, politics);
- Many original, unique and sometimes funny bets included in the offer;
- Live streaming, casino, poker, bingo;
- Numerous rotating bonus bets;
- Excellent Cashback offers on selected football matches;
- Wide range of payment options;
- Very fast payouts on e-wallets.
- Professional, informed customer support.
Disadvantages:
- Might not be the place for some European punters – a lot of UK & Ireland exclusives;
- High wagering requirements on some promotions;
- Odds aren’t the greatest for local sports;
- Restricted play in some countries;
- Limited offer of payment options.
Payments:
Visa/Mastercard, Skrill (Moneybookers), Bank Transfer, Cheque, EntroPay, Neteller, PayPal
*Keep in mind to double check information. Be prepared for changes to restricted countries, bonuses, currencies, deposit and payment options, languages, contact info.
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