Who operates Paddy Power and who regulates it?

The operating company and the owner of a brand are not necessarily the same entity. An operator’s name identifies the company responsible for running the gambling service.

PPB GE Limited is the company operating Paddy Power. The brand name is the name you recognise as a customer, while the operator is the legal entity running the service.

A company can own a brand directly or through another business in its group.

A gambling operator runs a service that accepts customers’ bets or provides gambling games. Its responsibilities include managing customer accounts and applying the rules that govern its gambling activities.

Operators in Great Britain must meet regulatory requirements relevant to their licences. These include requirements concerning fair treatment, protecting customers and preventing gambling from being a source of crime.

Operator and owner

An owner has a stake in a business or its assets; an operator runs the service. One company can perform both roles, but a business group can also separate ownership from day-to-day operation.

Knowing the difference helps you read a company name in context. A trading name, a legal entity and a parent company can each answer a different question about a business.

Gambling Commission is the regulator. It regulates commercial gambling in Great Britain and sets requirements for licensed operators.

Regulation covers areas such as customer protection, the fairness of gambling and the handling of complaints. A licence does not guarantee that you will win or prevent you from losing money.

What regulation means for you

Gambling businesses must provide tools that help customers manage their gambling, such as ways to set limits and self-exclude. Self-exclusion is a decision to stop gambling with a business for a period, not a way to recover losses.

Operators must also have a complaints procedure. A complaint about a gambling transaction and a concern about an operator’s compliance are different matters, so the appropriate route depends on the problem.

Free spins are a promotion mechanic that lets you play eligible game rounds without paying for each spin separately. The rules of a promotion determine how the spins and any resulting winnings work.

For more on the mechanic and its conditions, read the guide to Paddy Power free spins.