British bookmakers are inspiring nearby competitors to offer online betting services. Irish bookmakers Paddy Power and Raymond Farrell are hitting the Internet with their own betting sites, according to The Irish Times.
On-course bookmaker Raymond Farrell launched its site this week, while Paddy Power is expected to offer tax-free betting from its online betting site later this year.
Paddy Power spokesman Stewart Kenny told The Irish Times, "Getting the technology to cope with accumulator bets involving various sports has been complicated, but it will open up an international market for us. At the start, I think, turnover might be slow, but with interactive television transmission it will be huge."
"If we did not get early entry into this industry, " Raymond Farrell told The Irish Times, "our technological advantage would be lost. As a modern bookmaker it is essential to be part of the IT revolution."
Irish bookmakers are also watching the U.K. betting tax situation closely. "William Hill are marketing their offshore operation very aggressively in an attempt to highlight the betting tax issue in Britain to Gordon Brown (British chancellor of the exchequer)," Kenny said. "I'm sure our own government will be watching closely because they won't want to be trumped."