The Republic will remain gambling giant Flutter’s headquarters as the group expands in the US and internationally, according to one of the group’s leading executives.
Conor Grant, outgoing chief executive of Flutter’s UK and Ireland division, who was responsible for Paddy Power among other businesses, says its Clonskeagh, Dublin headquarters continues to play a pivotal role for the group, which has operations on five continents.
He pointed out this week that the algorithms that power the risk management and trading systems used across its global businesses were built by specialised teams in the Irish headquarters.
Those algorithms sit behind the systems that staff in other jurisdictions, including the US and Australia, use when compiling odds for sports betting in those countries, said Mr Grant. “The capability behind those systems is designed and built here in Dublin,” he said.
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Mr Grant also said that the Republic is “very much the cultural heart” of the group. “Wherever you go in our offices around the world, you’ll hear Irish accents,” he pointed out.
Flutter was created from the 2020 merger of Paddy Power Betfair in the Republic and the Stars Group in Canada, bringing businesses such as the Irish bookie FanDuel in the US, Sky Bet and PokerStars under one roof.
Fanduel’s rapid growth as US states continue to liberalise digital sports betting, and the addition of businesses in countries including Georgia and India, have sparked media speculation that the group could move its HQ from the Republic. However, key figures including group chief executive Peter Jackson have dismissed this.
Flutter employs about 3,000 people here, including 1,400 in betting shops, prompting Mr Grant to point out that it is bigger in the Republic than tech giant Microsoft.
The company closed a number of Paddy Power bookie shops this year where business failed to recover from the impact of Government Covid-19 curbs. Mr Grant said it was not planning further closures but he did note that pandemic restrictions had changed customer behaviour.
“Irish footfall has not bounced back to the same levels that the UK has,” he said.
Mr Grant is leaving the industry for a break after more than 20 years. The Co Down native says he is proudest of having had the opportunity to work with great people and of the progress made with safer gambling initiatives. His career spanned Paddy Power, Boylesports, Sky Bet and — post the merger — Flutter, where Ian Brown is due to succeed him.
