Paddy Power's Founding Story Is Being Adapted for the Big Screen

A feature film about the early years of Irish betting brand Paddy Power is in development. Playhouse Studios is producing it. The project is based on Business Post deputy editor Aaron Rogan's book "Punters: How Paddy Power Bet Billions and Changed Gambling Forever," published in 2021.

The film centers on the rise of Stewart Kenny, the company's co-founder and former managing director. Kenny's unconventional marketing campaigns helped make the company one of the best-known brands in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The film will be titled simply "Paddy Power."

According to reports, the cast will include Brian Gleeson, Colm Meaney, Alex Murphy and Aidan Gillen. Matt Lipsey, who has directed episodes of the series Ted Lasso and also serves as a producer on this project, is planned to direct the film. Variety's report contains no information indicating that current or former executives of Paddy Power or Flutter Entertainment are involved in the production.

Paddy Power merged with Betfair in 2015, creating Flutter. Three years later, the group acquired FanDuel, a move that accelerated its growth in the US market. The company took the name Flutter Entertainment in 2020. Flutter is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), operates in roughly 100 countries and has a market capitalization of more than $14 billion. Sky Betting and Gaming, Betfair, Italy's Sisal and Australia's Sportsbet are also among the group's brands.

The film's synopsis emphasizes that, alongside this success story, it will also address the social consequences of the industry. According to the synopsis, the production will show that the company permanently ruined the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Stewart Kenny, meanwhile, has recently emerged as one of the industry's harshest critics. He accused Betfred founder Fred Done of "spreading fear" with his predictions that retail betting shops would close.