Betting is one of the oldest industries in the world. Whilst it may have started out as private wagers, then legal underground markets, the legality of betting has been longstanding in Ireland.
Whilst new Irish betting sites do crop up from time to time, most of the industry leaders are decades old.
Oldest bookmakers in Ireland and the UK
Founded in 1963, one of the oldest bookmakers around is Betsson, a Swedish company that offers both sports betting as well as poker and casino games. Betsson is one of the few companies that operate in the country that they were founded in or owned by. In other words, it’s a Swedish company operating out of Sweden, as opposed to Gibraltar or Malta.
Betfred is also a bookmaker founded in the 1960s, a couple of years after Betsson. Betfred is a notorious British company owned by two brothers Fred and Peter Done. Salford was where the first shop owned, and they have been involved in controversy ever since.
However, two companies older than these is WilliamHill and BetVictor. Both are British companies, although BetVictor is based in Gibraltar. WilliamHill was founded in 1934, meaning it has been present in the gambling industry for almost an entire century. BetVictor was founded in the mid-1940s, just after world war 2 had finished. But, the name of BetVictor has changed a few times since those days.
The benefit of using a new company
Old companies tend to have all the credibility, reputation, and experience that help keep them successful. It’s true that a new company can be less reliable, but that isn’t to say all of them are…
There are some benefits to using a new betting site in Ireland. Firstly, they are generally up for a fierce fight with strong competition, meaning they often provide great odds and promotions. This is also because they have lower overheads as they’re a smaller firm, and these savings can be passed onto the customer.
Without the legacy systems of larger firms, they often have more up-to-date infrastructure. Some of the best apps we have seen come from newer companies that are built and operated like a tech company more than a gambling company.
New betting sites in Ireland
There are more and more new bookmakers popping up in recent years. Sportntion was a big one to set the trend in 2017, as they burst onto the scene offering generous bonuses, live streaming, and a wide range of betting markets. This showed that smaller companies can leverage great technology very quickly.
Quiff also did the same, showing that you can run a gambling firm like a tech company. Its minimalistic design and random supercharged odds makes it exciting and nice to use, as well as the fast technical support.
BetTarget, Quinnbet, and Fafabet are some other companies worth mentioning, all of which have brilliantly designed websites and a variety of promotions.
Although it seems like a long time ago now, the turn of the 21st century was a great time for good betting companies. 32Red, BETDAQ, and Hollywoodbets were all founded around this time of the dotcom bubble or shortly after, followed by the likes of 1xBet. These companies can often feel slightly more dated than the likes of Quiff, but they still hold up when it comes to offering zero commission, generous promotions, and a large selection of payment methods.
