Paddy Power vs William Hill

Odds and margin: the numbers that separate them

Best-price share is the share of sampled markets where an operator posted the top available price. On our samples, William Hill led on 17.4% of markets and Paddy Power on 12.3%. That is a meaningful gap for line-shoppers who want the top number on any given selection.

Average margin (overround) is where the two are almost identical: Paddy Power 6.93%, William Hill 6.96%. In practical terms neither book systematically prices tighter than the other — the value difference comes from how often each hits the front of the market rather than a lower baseline margin.

Both ratings for odds are close too: Paddy Power 7.8, William Hill 7.7. Read together, the data says these are two mid-margin books where price leadership is split, with William Hill marginally more often on top on the sampled book.

Sample sizes: Paddy Power 195 markets, William Hill 219 markets. Neither figure is a full-market census, so treat best-price share as a directional signal, not a guarantee on every fixture.

Market coverage and sports depth

William Hill rates higher on both breadth and depth: market coverage 8.5 vs 8.3, sports depth 8.6 vs 8.4. For bettors who want a wide set of secondary and niche markets across a single fixture, that edge tilts toward William Hill.

Both cover the sports that matter in Ireland — Football, Horse Racing, GAA, Rugby, Tennis and Golf — and both carry the main football competitions from the Premier League and Champions League through to Serie A, Ligue 1 and the Europa League, plus ATP and WTA tennis.

For racing-first bettors the depth ratings are the closest proxy here; both are established racing books, with William Hill (founded 1934) and Paddy Power (founded 1988) each carrying full daily Irish and UK card coverage. Check current prices on our Horse Racing odds and GAA odds pages before committing to either.

Live betting, cash out and bet builder

The two are level on live capability (both 8.2). Both list Live Betting, Cash Out, Bet Builder and Live Streaming, so the core in-play toolkit is present on either side. On the sub-ratings, Paddy Power edges bet builder 8.0 vs 7.9 and features 8.4 vs 8.3 — small margins.

One difference: Paddy Power's feature list also carries a Fast Payout flag, which aligns with its higher withdrawals rating (8.6 vs 8.2). If in-play cash-out speed and quick settlement matter more to you than raw market count, that combination favours Paddy Power.

Payments: Paddy Power's wider range

Both operators take Debit Card and PayPal, and both set a €10 minimum deposit. Paddy Power extends the list with Apple Pay and Revolut Pay — two methods heavily used in Ireland — which is reflected in its payments rating of 8.5 versus William Hill's 8.4.

Withdrawal windows are quoted at 0–24h for both, but Paddy Power's higher withdrawals rating (8.6 vs 8.2) plus its Fast Payout flag point to a faster typical turnaround.

If method flexibility is the deciding factor, Paddy Power is the broader option here. For method-specific shortlists see our PayPal betting sites, Apple Pay betting sites and Revolut Pay betting sites pages.

Apps: iOS and Android on both

Both Paddy Power and William Hill offer native iOS and Android apps. Paddy Power holds the higher app rating at 8.8 versus 8.5 — the widest single-metric gap in this comparison after best-price share.

For bettors who live in the app and want live betting, cash out and streaming in one place, the ratings tilt toward Paddy Power. Compare both alongside the rest of the market on our betting apps Ireland page.

Licensing and safety in Ireland

Both operators are licensed. Paddy Power's regulator is listed as the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI), the body overseeing the Irish market; the minimum betting age is 18. Licence-safety ratings are near-identical and among the highest in the market: William Hill 9.3, Paddy Power 9.2.

Neither operator's licence number is published in our data, so we don't state one. On the safety metric alone there is nothing to separate them meaningfully — both sit in the top band. See our legal betting sites Ireland overview for the regulatory picture.

Head-to-head rating table

• Odds rating: Paddy Power 7.8 / William Hill 7.7
• Best-price share (sampled): Paddy Power 12.3% / William Hill 17.4%
• Average margin: Paddy Power 6.93% / William Hill 6.96%
• Markets sampled: Paddy Power 195 / William Hill 219
• Market coverage: Paddy Power 8.3 / William Hill 8.5
• Sports depth: Paddy Power 8.4 / William Hill 8.6
• Live capability: 8.2 / 8.2
• Bet Builder: Paddy Power 8.0 / William Hill 7.9
• Payments: Paddy Power 8.5 / William Hill 8.4
• Withdrawals: Paddy Power 8.6 / William Hill 8.2
• App: Paddy Power 8.8 / William Hill 8.5
• Features: Paddy Power 8.4 / William Hill 8.3
• Support: Paddy Power 8.0 / William Hill 8.2
• Licence safety: Paddy Power 9.2 / William Hill 9.3
• Payment methods: Paddy Power (Debit Card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Revolut Pay) / William Hill (Debit Card, PayPal)
• Min deposit: €10 / €10
• Withdrawal time: 0–24h / 0–24h

Which to choose

Pick William Hill if best-price share is your priority — it topped the market on 17.4% of sampled selections versus 12.3%, and it rates higher on market coverage and sports depth for bettors who want breadth on a fixture.

Pick Paddy Power if you value a broader payment set (Apple Pay and Revolut Pay in addition to card and PayPal), a higher-rated app (8.8), faster-flagged withdrawals and a marginally stronger bet-builder score.

Because margins are effectively level (6.93% vs 6.96%), neither is systematically cheaper across the board — the practical value edge comes from best-price frequency, which is why many line-shoppers hold accounts at both and take whichever posts the top number. Read the full Paddy Power review and William Hill review, or line them up against the wider market via our comparisons hub.