Shares in Paddy Power owner Flutter Entertainment plunged by almost 13% after the betting services group said it expects to take a £90m-£110m (€100m-€120m) earnings hit

William Hill plans to cut about a third of its betting shops and jobs in the UK after the British government slashed the maximum stake permitted on fixed-odds terminals, dubbed the “crack cocaine” of gambling by their critics.

William Hill said of its store closure plans: "This follows the Government's decision to reduce the maximum stake on B2 gaming products to £2 on 1 April 2019.

The lottery watchdog has defended raising concerns about online betting on the outcome of lotto draws - despite the practice being legal and outside her remit.

The National Lottery has said it is disappointed after Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said “there does not appear to be any evidence” that online betting on the outcome of draws is currently having an impact on the lotto’s business.

On Christmas Eve, two emails arrived from paddypower.com. The timing was pretty awful — it would be true to say that the emails were a profound source of irritation, writes Paul Rouse

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe was told the “opportune time” had arrived to double betting tax amid ongoing pressure to increase tax on gambling.

Betting company shares including those of Paddy Power-Betfair fell on the back of the leading players in the UK market agreeing on a ban on television advertising during live sporting events.

There are calls for the Government to establish a regulatory body to protect people from the dangers of gambling.

Bookmakers Paddy Power Betfair have reported a rise in their revenue and pre-tax profits for the first half of this year.

Betting firms could be forced to shut down compulsive gamblers’ accounts by a new independent gambling regulator or face the prospect of significant fines under new Government plans.

Oisín McConville believes the GAA’s next step in tackling gambling addiction should be an outright ban on Gaelic players betting on football and hurling.

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe kicked to touch a decision to double tax on betting amid warnings of jobs losses from the Irish bookmaking industry.

Friends wanting to place bets with each other on sporting events for fun instead of heading down the bookies and potentially losing big money have a new option thanks to an Irish company.

British online betting company 888 Holdings swung to a half-year loss because of charges for tax provisions in Germany and a financial penalty imposed by the UK Gambling Commission.

The Irish division of UK betting services group Ladbrokes-Coral grew net revenue by 4% - to £19.8m (€21.5m) – in the first half of this year.

Daniel Storey has a secret - or seven - when it comes to Premier League betting.    

Shares in Paddy Power Betfair fell more than 8% during yesterday on the unexpected news that Breon Corcoran was stepping down as CEO, a day before the company’s half year results.

The smallest county in Ireland has the highest concentration of betting shops.

Fancy a flutter?

William Hill’s largest investor has come out against its proposed merger with PokerStars owner Amaya, saying the UK bookmaker should pursue a sale instead.

A lucky Cork punter scooped over €28,000 after three of their football accumulators won.