Matchbook has completed its acquisition of Betdaq, one of the first betting exchanges in the world, founded by Dermot Desmond in 2000. The two platforms are to be folded into a single liquidity pool, which the buyer expects to deliver tighter spreads and more competitive pricing for customers of both.
Betdaq's existing platform, run by EPS Ltd, stays open for trading until 21 October 2026. Client withdrawals run until 4 November 2026. Player funds remain protected under regulatory requirements across the whole transition.
Exchange betting and prediction markets are drawing new audiences worldwide, the US in particular. Matchbook has been in exchange betting for more than 20 years and has widened its reach through a partnership with easyGroup (the easyBet project) and the launch of ADI PredictStreet, a prediction markets platform built around the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Chief executive Ronan McDonagh put the logic of the deal this way: 'Betdaq and Matchbook have grown by proving one idea — players get better prices when the market sets them rather than a bookmaker's margin. A quarter of a century on, that idea is winning: exchanges and prediction markets are bringing peer-to-peer pricing to a new audience worldwide, and this deal deepens the pool at the centre of everything we build.' The stated priority is the safety of Betdaq client funds and access to deeper liquidity in the combined pool.
