Matchbook points to prediction market boom in Betdaq deal rationale
Matchbook has completed its takeover of rival betting exchange Betdaq, with chief executive Ronan McDonagh linking the deal to a wider surge in peer-to-peer wagering.
Matchbook has finalised its acquisition of Betdaq, combining two of the industry's longest-running betting exchange operators under one ownership structure.
The deal, confirmed on Wednesday, is designed to pool liquidity across both platforms, which Matchbook says should produce tighter spreads and allow larger bets to be matched at customers' preferred prices.
Betdaq's existing service will keep running until 21 October to allow for a managed handover, with customer withdrawals still available up to 4 November.
Matchbook chief executive Ronan McDonagh framed the takeover as part of a broader shift toward market-based pricing rather than bookmaker-set odds, telling iGaming Business that "Betdaq and Matchbook grew up proving the same idea – that bettors get a better deal when prices are made by a market rather than a margin."
He added that the concept is now gaining wider traction: "exchanges and prediction markets are bringing peer-to-peer pricing to new audiences around the world, and this acquisition deepens the pool at the heart of everything we build."
McDonagh said protecting Betdaq customers was the immediate priority during the transition, stating that "their funds are safe, their options are clear, and in one combined pool they should find better prices and deeper liquidity than either exchange could offer alone."
The deal lands against a backdrop of rapid growth in peer-to-peer betting formats, most visibly in the United States, where prediction market platforms Kalshi and Polymarket have expanded quickly and drawn significant attention within the wider wagering industry.
Matchbook, founded in 2004, has been building out its position beyond traditional exchange betting in recent years.
In 2024 it partnered with EasyGroup, the holding company behind easyJet, to launch a separate exchange brand called EasyBet.
The operator has also pushed into prediction markets directly, partnering with ADI PredictStreet as the official predictions partner around the 2026 World Cup.
By absorbing Betdaq rather than competing against it, Matchbook is betting that scale, rather than further fragmentation, is what will allow exchange-style pricing to compete against both traditional fixed-odds bookmakers and the newer prediction market entrants.