Paddy Power vs Betway

Odds and margin: where the value sits

The clearest separator between these two is book pricing.

• Best-price share (195 markets): Betway 13.85% vs Paddy Power 12.31%
• Average margin: Betway 6.32% vs Paddy Power 6.93%

A lower average margin means Betway retains marginally less overround across the sampled book, which is why its odds ratings edge ahead (7.9 vs 7.8). The gap is narrow but consistent: Betway both wins more head-to-head prices and prices its markets tighter on average.

In practice, a ~0.6 percentage-point margin difference is not decisive on a single bet, but it compounds across volume. If you place a high number of selections per month, the tighter book returns more over time. Neither operator dominates — with each holding the best price on only around one in eight selections, a bettor chasing top value would still want to line-shop both against the wider market on our betting odds Ireland pages before committing a stake.

Ratings scorecard

Paddy Power leads on more individual metrics, but most gaps are inside a single decimal point.

• Odds: Betway 7.9 / Paddy Power 7.8
• Market coverage: Betway 8.4 / Paddy Power 8.3
• Sports depth: Betway 8.5 / Paddy Power 8.4
• Live capability: Betway 8.3 / Paddy Power 8.2
• Bet Builder: Paddy Power 8.0 / Betway 7.8
• Licence safety: Paddy Power 9.2 / Betway 9.0
• Payments: Betway 8.6 / Paddy Power 8.5
• Withdrawals: Paddy Power 8.6 / Betway 8.4
• App: Paddy Power 8.8 / Betway 8.7
• Features: Paddy Power 8.4 / Betway 8.2
• Support: Betway 8.1 / Paddy Power 8.0

Betway leads on odds, coverage, sports depth, live capability, payments and support. Paddy Power leads on Bet Builder, licence safety, withdrawals, app and features. The pattern is consistent with the pricing data: Betway is the marginally sharper sportsbook, Paddy Power the marginally more feature- and local-payment-oriented product.

Comparison table

| Metric | Betway | Paddy Power | |---|---|---| | Founded | 2006 | 1988 | | Best-price share (195 mkts) | 13.85% | 12.31% | | Average margin | 6.32% | 6.93% | | Odds rating | 7.9 | 7.8 | | Licence safety | 9.0 | 9.2 | | Regulator | Licensed | GRAI | | Min deposit | €10 | €10 | | Withdrawal time | 0–24h | 0–24h | | Payments | Debit Card, PayPal | Debit Card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Revolut Pay | | iOS app | Yes | Yes | | Android app | Yes | Yes | | App rating | 8.7 | 8.8 | | Live streaming | — | Yes | | Bet Builder | Yes | Yes | | Cash Out | Yes | Yes |

Payments and withdrawals for Irish accounts

Paddy Power carries the wider payment set for Irish bettors: Debit Card, PayPal, Apple Pay and Revolut Pay. Betway lists Debit Card and PayPal. If you fund through Revolut Pay or Apple Pay, Paddy Power is the only one of the two supporting those rails directly.

Both quote a €10 minimum deposit and a 0–24h withdrawal window. Paddy Power scores marginally higher on withdrawals (8.6 vs 8.4) and lists Fast Payout as an explicit feature. Betway scores marginally higher on the broader payments rating (8.6 vs 8.5), which reflects its overall processing setup rather than method count.

For method-specific shortlists, see our Apple Pay betting sites, Revolut Pay betting sites and PayPal betting sites pages.

Apps and live betting

Both operators run native iOS and Android apps. Paddy Power's app rates fractionally higher (8.8 vs 8.7). Both support Live Betting, Cash Out and Bet Builder.

The functional difference is streaming: Paddy Power's feature set includes Live Streaming, which is not listed for Betway. If watching in-running coverage inside the app matters — common for horse racing and tennis — Paddy Power is the stronger fit. On live capability rating alone, Betway edges ahead (8.3 vs 8.2), so for pure in-play market pricing and speed the two are effectively level.

Compare the wider field on our betting apps Ireland and Live Streaming shortlists.

Sports and competition coverage

Both books cover the core Irish menu: Football, Horse Racing, GAA, Rugby, Tennis and Golf. Football depth spans the Premier League, Serie A, Ligue 1, Champions League, Europa League, Copa Libertadores and the World Cup, with ATP Tour and WTA Tour on tennis.

Betway's slightly higher sports-depth (8.5 vs 8.4) and market-coverage (8.4 vs 8.3) ratings suggest marginally broader market trees on average. Paddy Power's edge sits in its Bet Builder rating (8.0 vs 7.8) and Irish-market heritage — the operator has traded since 1988 and is a familiar name for GAA and racing markets.

For sport-specific price checks, see Football odds, Horse Racing odds and GAA odds.

Licensing and safety

Paddy Power is listed under the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) and carries the higher licence-safety score (9.2 vs 9.0). Betway is listed as licensed. The legal minimum age in Ireland is 18.

Both score in the top tier for safety, so the 0.2 gap is a preference marker rather than a red flag. Bettors prioritising a named Irish regulatory listing will lean to Paddy Power; see our legal betting sites Ireland page for the full compliant field.

Verdict: which to pick

This is a close comparison decided on priorities, not a knockout.

Choose Betway if you optimise for price: it holds the best odds more often (13.85% vs 12.31%), runs a tighter average margin (6.32% vs 6.93%) and leads on odds, coverage and sports depth.

Choose Paddy Power if local payment convenience and features matter more: it adds Apple Pay and Revolut Pay, includes Live Streaming, rates higher on Bet Builder, app, withdrawals and features, and carries the higher GRAI licence-safety score.

Many Irish bettors run both to line-shop and to keep streaming plus wider payment options available. Full breakdowns sit in our Betway review and Paddy Power review.