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The story of how a small Dublin bookmaker turned into one of the world’s most recognizable betting companies is being made into a feature film, with a quartet of Irish actors attached to star.
Brian Gleeson (“Under Salt
Marsh,” “Logan Lucky”), Colm Meaney (“Law Abiding Citizen,” “Layer Cake”), Alex Murphy (“Saipan,” “The Young Offenders”) and Aidan Gillen (“Game of Thrones,” “Queer as Folk”) are set to lead the cast of “Paddy Power,” with Matt Lipsey (“Ted Lasso,” “Inside No.9”) tapped to direct.
The film, from Irish media production company Playhouse Studios, is based on award-winning investigative journalist Aaron Rogan’s acclaimed “Punters: How Paddy Power Bet Billions and Changed Gambling Forever,” charting the rise of the infamous gambling giant. Long-time writing duo Dale Longmore and John Quinn (“Bump”) will adapt Rogan’s book and pen the script with Brian Durnin (“Spilt Milk”).
As per the synopsis, “Paddy Power” will recount the “crazy true story of how one man bet big on brash advertising and brought online gambling — and addiction — to every corner of the globe.” It adds: “An inherently Irish origin story, it claws open the lid of how a few chancers changed the world as we know it, destroying hundreds of thousands of people’s lives forever.”
The film marks a significant milestone for Playhouse Studios as it unveils the first title from its original scripted slate.
“’Paddy Power’ stood out immediately as a story with real scale, authentic dark humour, grit and tenacity. You could not make up this incredible story,” said Playhouse CEO Peggy Cafferty. “Aaron Rogan’s voice made the book such an easy, engaging read and we feel the writing team captured the adaptation brilliantly. This is the extraordinary rise of one company that refused to play by the rules and set out on a path of ambition, risk and consequence. They stepped outside the norms of marketing with brilliant twists and always with wit. We are thrilled with this exceptional creative team and cast, this is a fearless production and a narrative that resonates with audiences far beyond Ireland — everyone loves a great, true story that’s as dramatic as fiction.”
Added Rogan: “I’m delighted that Peggy and the team at Playhouse see the same value in the Paddy Power story that I have since I started reporting on them a decade ago. It’s an Irish story with global appeal and the growth of the gambling industry in the U.S. in recent years makes this adaptation all the more timely.”
Playhouse Studios also recently financed Underground Films and Rocliffe Productions’ “Lemonade,” starring Barry Keoghan, which world premiered at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. With the recent opening of its Playhouse Post base in London’s Soho and a Belfast office, the expansion forms part of Playhouse Studios’ wider strategy to build an integrated production ecosystem across the U.K. and Ireland, spanning development, financing, production and post-production.
