The company behind Paddy Power and Betfair has warned it faces an “unprecedented” challenge as sports matches and leagues are cancelled because of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Joe Marler’s attempt to emulate Vinny Jones’ notorious ‘nut-cracker’ grab at a teenaged Paul Gascoigne (Wimbledon v Newcastle, February 1988) exposes the England prop to the risk of a 12-week ban at the very least.

Shares in Paddy Power owner Flutter Entertainment crashed by nearly 10% despite the betting company expressing confidence that the Cheltenham horseracing festival will go ahead next month amid fears mass public events could be caught up in the fallout from the spread of the coronavirus.

Peter Jackson gets over the gainline, behind the headline

Andy Farrell has experienced the cruel extremes of Anglo-Irish rugby conflict from both sides, for England in Dublin and Ireland in London.

Eddie Jones ought to have known better, that the rugby Gods have their own way of dealing with those deemed to have been too clever by half.

Peter Jackson gets over the gain line, behind the headline

Peter Jackson gets over the gain line, behind the headline.

The chief executives of the Six Nations renewed talks in London yesterday aimed at finalising an offer designed to change the face of the game. Having already forked out some €400m to buy stakes in the English Premiership and PRO14, the private equity firm CVC Partners are willing to pay the Six Nations almost as much again for a share of the tournament’s commercial rights.

Peter Jackson gets over the gain line, behind the headline

Some revealing facts can be laid bare today about the once symbiotic relationship between Munster and the drop goal, a weapon that never seemed to fail in the hands of Ronan O’Gara.

Paddy Power owner Flutter Entertainment has said it expects to reduce losses in its burgeoning US operations this year.

Peter Jackson Time to call a halt as refs fail to implement penalty rules

Flutter has agreed to buy Canadian online gaming business Stars Group in an all-share deal

Peter Jackson gets over the gain line, behind the headline

Shares in Flutter — the betting conglomerate that includes Paddy Power, Betfair, its Australian and now key operations in a newly liberalised US — surged over 6% after it unveiled no nasty surprises in half-year results.

THE multibillion-euro betting, gaming, and gambling industries in Ireland are regulated by arcane laws, principally the 1956 Gaming and Lotteries Act and the Betting Act of 1931.

Flutter Entertainment - the holding company of betting firms Paddy Power and Betfair - is unlikely to play a part in an expected fresh wave of consolidation in the UK online gambling sector.

Paddy Power-Betfair has called for tighter global regulations for the gambling industry as online betting becomes more prevalent.

Peter Jackson picks his XV for the Heineken Champions Cup Team of the Tournament.

Peter Jackson gets over the gain line, behind the headline

Mortal Engines author Philip Reeve tops the bill at the Towers and Tales festival in Lismore, writes Marjorie Brennan.

Peter Jackson gets over the gain line, behind the headline

Peter Jackson took over the day-to-day running of the betting group in January of last year.

Mercifully, England’s attempts to scrap the fallow weeks of the Six Nations and shrink the tournament into five consecutive weekends have fallen on deaf ears. It shows scant regard for the fans and does nothing for player welfare.

Peter Jackson gets over the gain line, behind the headline

Every Six Nations weekend generates a blizzard of statistics, come hail or shine, writes Peter Jackson.

Peter Jackson gets over the gain line, behind the headline...

Shares in Paddy Power-Betfair jumped by as much as 2.5% on the back of the betting group taking a punt on the growing eastern European markets of Georgia and Armenia.

Peter Jackson gets over the gain line, behind the headline.

Peter Jackson gets over the gain line, behind the headline.

Peter Jackson gets over the gain line, behind the headline...

Our Arts Editor selects his highlights of the year...

Esther McCarthy selects her highlights of the year...

Peter Jackson, the filmmaker who brought us The Lord of the Rings movies, returns with ‘Mortal Engines’. Kerri-Ann Roper speaks to two of the new film’s leading ladies — Hera Hilmar and Jihae — about the relevance of the story.

Competition in the Australian online betting services market, currently led by Paddy Power-Betfair, has intensified further with Ladbrokes-Coral owner GVC Holdings acquiring local player Neds International for a maximum A$95m (€60m).

The last time the reigning Grand Slam champions dared to beat the All Blacks, they followed up by winning the World Cup within a matter of months, writes Peter Jackson.

Paddy Power-Betfair shares edged higher after the betting and gaming group marginally improved its full-year earnings guidance on the back of a good third quarter performance.

There was a time when the stinginess of the Scottish Rugby Union knew no bounds, when players were given one pair of socks per year and instructions to hand them back with the rest of the kit at the end of the season, writes Peter Jackson.

Paddy Power-Betfair shares rose by over 5% despite it being effectively fined £2.2m (€2.5m) by the UK’s gambling watchdog for failing to guard against money laundering activity.

An unholy trinity of ghastly misadventures in sport happened at three historic venues: Aintree; the old twin-towered Wembley; and St Andrews. That the misadventures are still talked of five decades later says everything about their enduring appeal, writes Peter Jackson.

Judging by the gushing reaction from their newly-converted pundits, the PRO14’s new pay-per-view broadcasters will not be short of cheerleaders.

The prospect of an increased tax on UK online gaming revenues represents a bigger threat to Paddy Power-Betfair than the enforcement of maximum restrictions on in-shop gaming machine betting, analysts have warned.

Every once in a while whenever the notion takes them, the gods decide to even up the score and divert the course of history.