Many gamblers remember Boylesports and Paddy Power buying out Irish bookmakers in 2015, competing in the expansion of their retail networks. How did the completion turn out and which of the companies is bigger today?
Both Boylesports and Paddy Power Betfair are known as the largest highstreet bookmakers in Ireland, forming the country’s Big Three together with Ladbrokes. Besides, they are major operators on the UK online gambling scene, offering slots, casino, poker, bingo and other gaming opportunities for customers in Great Britain under the regulation of the Gambling Commission. Boylesports also holds a Gibraltar license, while Paddy Power is regulated by the gambling authorities of Malta, Greece and Italy.
Although 6 years younger than Boylesports, Paddy Power is listed on both the London and Dublin stock exchanges, valued at over £6 billion and boasting 600+ brick-and-mortar shops across the UK and Ireland. Upon the successful 2016 merger with Betfair, there is no doubt that Paddy Power outcompeted Boylesports at least on the UK market, which the Dundalk-based company only starts cracking.
At the end of 2018, Boylesports announced its intention to expand to the UK market through acquiring a number of independent bookies and adding their regional shops to the Irish bookmaker’s portfolio. This could bring about 100 more outlets to Boylesports, which celebrated the opening of its 250th licensed betting office in Ireland just in the early fall of 2018. However, the previous Boylesports’s attempt to enter the UK betting scene by buying Ladbrokes Coral’s 350 shops wasn’t successful, so the Irish bookmaking giant doesn’t give up on its local expansion. Despite apparent uncertainty in the future of retail betting, the company aims for a total of 300 betting stores across the country. Along with its commitment to retail customers, the Dundalk-based enterprise keeps on catering to the needs of online gamblers, improving its digital presence and attracting new visitors with enticing promos that can be found at bonuscode.co.uk.
As for its rival, Paddy Power Betfair started the 2019th year with the announcement of a new acquisition. Proceeding in its targeting of high-growth markets, the company bought a majority stake in Adjarabet, which is the largest online betting player on the regulated Georgian scene. It boasts 40% of online betting in the country that shows 40% growth in online gaming over the last two years, also covering 10% of the Armenian market.Â
