Paddy Power has opened a retail sportsbook in a land-based casino for the first time. Paddy’s Sportsbook has its home in England’s biggest casino, the Hippodrome in London, as of Thursday.
The area contains five self-service terminals at which to place wagers and a hospitality area where people can watch live sports on 80 screens while drinking and eating.
Talking about the opening of the sportsbook at the Hippodrome, Paddy Power Managing Director of Retail Rupert Ellwood spoke about how the company is constantly looking “to innovate and offer the best customer experience.” He mentioned that people want more of a social atmosphere when betting, which is what the Hippodrome delivers.
high street stores aren’t as profitable as they once were
Paddy Power is looking to diversify from its 600+ bookmaker shops in the UK and Ireland, as these high street stores aren’t as profitable as they once were. Research from the UK Gambling Commission showed a 5% year-to-year drop in gross gaming revenue in the first quarter of the 2025-2026 financial year for traditional betting stores as more people engage in online gambling.
The possibility of having a sportsbook in a casino only became possible on the back of the UK government’s 2023 white paper on gambling legislation, which eased the restrictions previously in place.
