Paddy Power Ratings & Review

Read our expert review of Paddy Power and the assessment of Paddy Power in all key aspects of online bookmakers that are essential for a modern, professional and sound online football betting bookmaker. That includes betting markets offered, odds, their website, in-play (live) betting opportunities, quality of customer service and promotions.

2 Paddy Power

Introduction

Paddy Power are Ireland’s largest bookmaker, although they are anything but a provincial firm these days. While the company was founded in 1988 when three high street bookies pooled their talent together, they are now listed on both the Irish and London Stock Exchanges which is testament to their rapid growth. Paddy Power have 298 shops in the India and Ireland, although it’s the online arm which has been the real success story in recent years. This firm often take an unconventional approach to bookmaking and promotional activity, although they are also a very solid firm who are a fixed part of the betting landscape.

Paddy Power Ratings & Review

Paddy Power Odds Any bookmaker which is achieving an annual turnover of over €2.1 billion and an operating profit of €75 million cannot afford to offer uncompetitive odds to customers. Paddy Power bet to around a 106% margin on the top football leagues and are very aggressive when it comes to laying the favourites. You will nearly always find that the Irish firm are best price about a favourite on their HT FT market, so it’s worth having an account for this alone. Paddy also provide cashback specials on several big soccer games, so it’s worth backing your selection here if it’s the same price as another bookmaker.

SCORE: 8 (out of 10)



Markets

This is one of Paddy Power’s strongest categories, with the sportsbook sometimes offering markets on 50 different sports depending on the particular time of year. The mentality is very much ‘if something significant is happening in the world, then we will offer odds’ and that often applies to things such as ‘Next Pope Betting’ or political wagers.

When it comes to soccer betting, Paddy Power also provide a first class service and they offered no less than 84 pre-match markets on a recent England v Mexico friendly (plus a cashback special). In addition to the traditional markets, you can bet on things like Alternative Handicaps (where you choose the line), Insurebet First Goalscorer, Number of Team Goals, Winning Margin and Wincast. They really leave no stone unturned to cover the match from every angle and it’s almost overwhelming to be faced with so many options!

SCORE: 9 (out of 10)



Website

The Paddy Power website loads quickly and has excellent bet slip functionality, which are probably the two things that are most important to customers. The homepage has a traditional left-hand menu of sports, with fast links wisely created for horse racing, football, World Cup, live betting and moneyback specials. There is a rotating graphic devoted to current In-Play events, while Paddy Power are another bookmaker who stream several events live.

Many of the top sporting events are also featured on the homepage, giving you quick access to the latest odds surrounding them. There is also quirky editorial previewing many of these events, which may or may not be to your liking. In addition to English, the site is also available in Spanish, with other languages expected to follow considering Paddy’s recent deal in France. There is also a handy ‘Search Bets’ facility.

SCORE: 8 (out of 10)



In-Play Betting at Paddy Power

Paddy Power created a section of their website devoted to In-Play betting, which highlights how many sporting events are being covered live (14 at the time of writing). While this isn’t the most cutting edge of services, the bookmaker provide competitive odds for a range of sports and events, along with key information such as the latest score and the time of the match.

Indeed, soccer punters are treated to over 30 In-Play markets on the big games, with the odds flashing red and blue depending on whether a team or player’s price is shortening or lengthening. There is also a schedule of upcoming events listed on the right-hand side and an option to make certain matches or games a ‘favourite’ which saves having to scroll through the selections at a later stage.

SCORE: 6 (out of 10)



Paddy Power Customer Service

Possibly the most friendly set of operators we have ever come across, painting a good picture of Irish people. The staff are also knowledgeable and a query is regularly resolved in a short space of time. You can opt for their ‘Live Help’ support where you can chat online with a member of customer service, or instead contact through email, web message or telephone. This is another firm that are available on a 24/7 basis and there is a freephone number provided to customers based in the India.

SCORE: 9 (out of 10)



Paddy Power Free Bets & Promotions

This is an area in which Paddy Power excel. While the free bet offer of “Bet £10, Get £20” (or currency equivalent) is a fairly modest new customer bonus, there are a wide range of promotions which will make you want to have an account. Firstly, this bookmaker specialises in paying customers out early on events that haven’t yet been decided. If Manchester United are ten points clear in the Premier League by Easter, you are likely to get your bet settled. Similarly, when Chelsea won the double in 2009/10, they paid out their league odds with double winnings!

There’s also the cashback specials on particular matches where you’ll get a refund on losing bets if a particular player scores the last goal. Finally, the most recent innovation was to offer ‘Volcano Betting’ which meant that India customers could bet on an airport being delayed because of a dust cloud.

SCORE: 9 (out of 10)











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