The story of how a small bookmaker in Dublin grew into one of the world’s best-known betting companies is being turned into a feature film starring four Irish actors.
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”) will lead the cast of “Paddy Power,” directed by Matt Lipsey (“Ted Lasso,” “Inside No.9”).
Produced by Irish media production company Playhouse Studios, the film is based on award-winning investigative journalist Aaron Rogan’s acclaimed book “Punters: How Paddy Power Bet Billions and Changed Gambling Forever”, which chronicles the rise of the famous gambling giant. Longtime writing duo Dale Longmore and John Quinn (“Bump”) will adapt Rogan’s book and co-write the screenplay with Brian Durnin (“Spilt Milk”).
According to the synopsis, “Paddy Power” will tell “the crazy true story of how one man bet big on brazen advertising and brought online gambling and addiction to every corner of the world.” He adds: “A quintessentially Irish story claws at how a few serendipitous individuals changed the world as we know it, ruining the lives of hundreds of thousands of people forever.”
The film marks a major milestone for Playhouse Studios as it announces the first film from its original scripted slate.
“‘Paddy Power’ immediately stood out as a story of true scale, original dark humor, grit and determination. You can’t make this incredible story up,” said Playhouse CEO Peggy Cafferty. “Aaron Rogan’s voice made the book such an easy and engaging read, and we feel the writing team have captured the adaptation wonderfully. This is the remarkable rise of a company that refuses to play by the rules and sets out on a path of ambition, risk and results. They have stepped outside the marketing norm with brilliant spins and always with intelligence. We are thrilled with this extraordinary 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 this is as dramatic as fiction.”
Rogan added: “I’m delighted that Peggy and the team at Playhouse have seen the same value in my Paddy Power story 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 US in recent years makes this adaptation even more timely.”
Playhouse Studios also recently financed Underground Films and Rocliffe Productions’ “Lemonade,” starring Barry Keoghan, which had its world premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. With the recent opening of the Playhouse Post base in London’s Soho and the Belfast office, this expansion forms part of Playhouse Studios’ wider strategy to create an integrated production ecosystem in the UK and Ireland covering development, financing, production and post-production.