Paddy Power to Offer Sports Betting on Facebook in UK

Paddy Power is the latest company to announce that they will be offering real money betting on Facebook with the announcement on Wednesday that they would open up their own sports betting app for Facebook.

The app will be called Paddy Power In-Play! and StockMarketWire reported that the app is expected to be released in beta on Facebook sometime in the next few weeks. The object of the app is simple. Players will be offered a chance to place bets on a variety of sporting events from the comfort of Facebook all while having the social elements that many have come to love with other Facebook games.

According to Paddy Power “The app will add social engagement to online betting, enabling customers to bet on a wide variety of sporting events through Facebook, while also giving them visibility of, and the opportunity to engage with, other users. Player participation will be subject to strict age verification checks.”

Paddy Power is the second company today to announce that they would start to offer games on Facebook. Zynga earlier today revealed their Facebook versions of both Zynga Poker and Zynga Casino. They are also expected to open their apps within the next next.

Managing Director of Paddy Power Online Peter O’Donovan stated that “The launch of the first real money sports betting product on Facebook is testament to Paddy Power’s e-commerce and technology capabilities, as well as our international industry leadership position in social media. We are pleased to partner with Facebook on this pioneering work.”

Paddy Power In-Play! will start as a UK only app while the company works out the bugs and builds their user base. Paddy Power and Zynga have taken an early lead in real-money Facebook gaming and now other companies such as Caesars Interactive Entertainment will need to catch up to secure their share in the market.