Matchbook Completes Betdaq Buyout, Thinning UK Exchange Field

One of British betting’s oldest brands is being folded into a rival this month, as Matchbook confirms it has bought Betdaq outright. For UK players who use exchanges alongside their casino accounts, it means a quarter-century-old name is winding down while its liquidity, and eventually its branding, gets absorbed elsewhere.

What’s been released

Matchbook, a peer-to-peer betting exchange and market technology business, announced that it has completed its acquisition of Betdaq, an exchange founded by Dermot Desmond
.
Betdaq, founded by Dermot Desmond in 2000, was among the earliest betting exchanges in the world and has served exchange bettors for over a quarter of a century
. The financial details haven’t been made public, with
Matchbook announcing its acquisition of Dermot Desmond’s Betdaq for an undisclosed sum
on 14 October.

The two businesses aren’t new to each other’s turf.
Matchbook is operated by Triplebet Limited and is licensed in Great Britain by the Gambling Commission
, while the outgoing
Betdaq operator, EPS, is also licensed by the Gambling Commission and the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland
.
Matchbook has operated exchange markets for more than 20 years and has recently expanded through ventures including easyBet and ADI PredictStreet, which launched prediction markets around the FIFA World Cup 2026
.

What’s changed

Rather than a straight account migration, this is a managed shutdown and relaunch.
Matchbook announced on October 14, 2026 that it has completed the acquisition of Betdaq, with Betdaq’s licensed operator, Exchange Platform Solutions Limited, simultaneously beginning an orderly closure of the exchange’s gambling operations, with Triplebet Limited, trading as Matchbook, having agreed to acquire the Betdaq brand name and associated domain names
. Crucially,
the acquisition does not include existing Betdaq customer accounts or the customer database, so existing accounts will not automatically transfer, meaning customers wishing to use Matchbook need to register separately and meet its account verification requirements
.

There’s a clear runway for anyone still trading on the old site.
The current Betdaq service, operated by EPS, will remain open for trading until October 21, 2026, with customers able to withdraw money until November 4, 2026, remaining fully protected in line with Matchbook and Betdaq’s responsibility commitments
.
From the announcement date, EPS stopped accepting new customer registrations and deposits
, so the closure is already in motion rather than a future plan. Interestingly, this needn’t be the end for the name itself:
once the EPS closure is complete, Matchbook may relaunch the Betdaq brand, according to the FAQ, though all new registrations would need to be made with Matchbook and Triplebet Limited
.

Matchbook frames the logic as simple market depth. Chief executive Ronan McDonagh said
“bettors get a better deal when prices are made by a market rather than a margin”
, adding that bringing the two order books together should mean
pairing “Betdaq’s heritage with Matchbook’s pricing, liquidity, and technology expertise,” creating a “single, deeper pool,” which means customers will be able to benefit from tighter spreads, bigger fills, and better prices
.

Where it fits

Betdaq has changed hands before: it was built from scratch by Desmond, sold on, and bought back over the years, and
Desmond sold BETDAQ to Ladbrokes for €30 million in 2013 and bought it back from the Entain group in November 2021 for an undisclosed sum
. That churn reflects how tough the exchange corner of UK betting has become for standalone operators to sustain against bigger liquidity pools.

The deal also lands as exchanges and prediction markets are having something of a moment again.
Matchbook highlighted that the acquisition comes as the peer-to-peer model enjoys renewed momentum worldwide
, a trend it’s already been riding through its own prediction-market ventures tied to major sporting calendar moments. For UK players who split their time between slots, live tables and sports markets, it’s a reminder that consolidation isn’t limited to casino brands and suppliers, the exchange side of the market is thinning out too, with one heritage name now folding into a rival’s infrastructure rather than competing against it.

Sources

• GamblingNews – Matchbook Completes Acquisition of Betdaq
• iGaming Business – Matchbook completes acquisition of rival exchange Betdaq
• SBC News – Matchbook builds on prediction markets momentum with Betdaq takeover
• Yahoo News UK – Dermot Desmond’s Betdaq acquired by Matchbook in betting exchange deal
• Next.io – Matchbook acquires Dermot Desmond’s Betdaq for undisclosed sum
• Gaming.net – Matchbook Completes Acquisition of Betdaq Brand and Domains