Irish sportsbook Paddy Power has a history of quirky marketing campaigns, and one of its standout strategies is to pay out early on bets it believes are a shoo-in.
The Flutter Entertainment-owned company has done it again this week, this time after just one game in the Scottish Premiership. Paddy Power paid out on outright bets on Celtic to win this season after a dominant display against Kilmarnock in their opener.
paying out on losing bets certainly isn’t ideal
At VegasSlotsOnline News, this got us thinking… how many times has this come back to bite Paddy Power? Sure, the sportsbook might earn some vital press along the way, but paying out on losing bets certainly isn’t ideal.
Assessing every time that Paddy Power has paid out early on bets, we determined that the sportsbook has a 64% success rate. Check out the big winners and losers in our list.
2011: Sebastian Vettel to win F1 Championship
14 races to go
WINNER
During the 2011 Formula 1 season, Paddy Power paid out early on German racer and reigning champion Sebastian Vettel to secure the Driver’s Championship. The sportsbook paid out after just five races of the season, in which Vettel was victor four times. At the time, he had a 41-point lead over British rival Lewis Hamilton.
This lead had grown to a dominant 122-point lead by the end of the season over second-place Jenson Button, making Paddy’s gamble a winner this time around. Hamilton dropped to fifth.
2013: Manchester United to win English Premier League (EPL)
13 games to go
WINNER
In the world of soccer, Paddy Power decided to call Manchester United’s 20th EPL title very early. The sportsbook paid outrights on the red devils to win the league with 13 games left in the title race. The payout came after second-place Manchester City lost to Southampton, giving United the chance to extend the lead to 12 points.
United remained in first place for the rest of the season
The sportbook confirmed it was paying out more than £500,000 ($640,283) to bettors in this case, and it turned out that it wasn’t all for nothing. United remained in first place for the rest of the season, winning eight and losing just two of those last 14 games to defeat City with an 11-point gap.
2016: Hillary Clinton to win US presidential election
Three weeks to go
LOSER
It’s possible you might know what happened with this one. In the lead up to the US presidential election in 2016, Paddy Power paid out £800,000 ($1m) in winnings to gamblers who had backed Democrat Hillary Clinton to win.
Republican Donald Trump ultimately secured the victory, spending the next four years in charge of one of the world’s biggest superpowers. “We’ve been well and truly thumped by Trump, with his victory leaving us with the biggest political payout in the company’s history,” the Irish bookmaker stated.
2017: Floyd Mayweather to beat Conor McGregor
Week of fight
WINNER
In 2017, UFC star Conor McGregor turned his hand to boxing as he took on the undefeated champion of multiple weight classes Floyd Mayweather. Paddy Power decided to pay out on bets backing Mayweather on the week of the fight, jokingly stating: “We checked and only one of them is a boxer.”
Paddy essentially made a £250,000 ($319,328) winning bet in doing so, after Mayweather defeated McGregor by technical knockout in the tenth round. It marked Mayweather’s 50th victory in the sport, with 0 defeats. McGregor has not returned to boxing since.
2022: Liverpool to win Premier League
Before season began
LOSER
Paddy Power decided that Liverpool was certain to do the job in the 2022/2023 season. The sportsbook paid out bets on Liverpool to win the EPL after the reds beat bitter rival Manchester City in the pre-season Community Shield, the team was second-favorite (+200) behind City at the time.
Liverpool finished fifth in a disappointing season
Unfortunately for Paddy Power, this one was a flop. Liverpool finished fifth in a disappointing season, while City took the top spot for the third season in a row, beating Arsenal by five points. The move supposedly cost Paddy Power a six-figure sum.
2022: Ten Hag to be next EPL managerial sacking
Two games in
LOSER
Remaining in the EPL, Paddy Power didn’t give Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hang much hope of keeping his job after a dismal start to his new position. He joined Manchester United before the 2022/2023 season, and proceeded to lose his first two games, one of which was a 4-0 loss to Brentford.
Paddy Power’s choice to pay out early on Ten Hag as the next managerial sacking turned out to be a dismal prediction given that he is still United boss today. His team managed to turn that season around, ending third. Bournemouth’s Scott Parker was the next manager to lose his job, just weeks after Paddy Power paid out.
2022: Jonbon to win the Arkle at Cheltenham
Five months before race
LOSER
Two years ago, Paddy Power paid out on Jonbon to win the Arkle Challenge Trophy horserace at Cheltenham. However, it was five months before the race and it wasn’t even clear if Jonbon would be taking part. The sportsbook said it decided to pay out after being blown away by videos of the horse training.
Edwardstone took the win, ridden by Tom Cannon
Jonbon, in fact, did not take part. Edwardstone took the win, ridden by Tom Cannon. The horse was the clear favorite at odds of +250.
2023: Europe to win Ryder Cup
Four matches in
WINNER
In the first four matches of the 2023 Ryder Cup, the European team stormed to a 4-0 lead. It marked the first time ever that the European encumbent had a clean sweep of the opening series of the Cup, and Paddy Power decided to pay out early on their victory.
This paid off for the sportsbook after Europe took the win in the biennial golf event. The team beat USA in Rome with 16.5 points to 11.5.
2024: Sheffield relegation from Premier League
11 games to go
WINNER
Sheffield United might have been 11 points from safety in the EPL this year, but Paddy Power didn’t give them a chance of remaining in the top flight. The sportsbook paid out on a Sheffield relegation with 11 games to go in the 2023/2024 season after the team lost 6-0 to Arsenal at home.
Sheffield finished dead last in the league with just 16 points
It turned out a good bet by Paddy. Sheffield finished dead last in the league with just 16 points and eight points from second-to-last Burnley. The team will play out the 2024/2025 season in the Championship, while Paddy Power secured some top notch marketing.
2024: Willie Mullins to win National Hunt Trainers Championship
Eight days to go
WINNER
In April this year, Paddy Power decided legendary Irish horse trainer Willie Mullins was certain to win the UK National Hunt Trainers Championship. The winner is the trainer whose horses have earned the most prize money during the racing season, and Mullins was just £30,000 ($38,319) behind Harry Skelton when the sportsbook called it with eight days to go.
Paddy Power’s bet paid off this time. Mullins ultimately became the first Irish trainer to grab the championship since 1954 when he sealed the deal at Sandown Park days later.
