# Star Sports vs Paddy Power: Racing Punter's 2026 Verdict

_Star Sports vs Paddy Power compared for horse racing. Same Race Multi, extra places on Cheltenham handicaps, welcome offers, ante-post transparency, phone bets — the honest comparison._

*Source: [https://stablebet.co.uk/bookmakers/star-sports-vs-paddy-power/](https://stablebet.co.uk/bookmakers/star-sports-vs-paddy-power/) · last updated 2026-04-24*

## The Personality Pick vs the Specialist

Paddy Power is the personality-first Irish-origin operator that has turned racing promotions into a core brand identity — Same Race Multi (racing bet builder), aggressive extra-places on Cheltenham handicaps and the Grand National, a 4.7-star iOS app with 209,000 reviews, and a Bet £5 Get £40 welcome offer. Star Sports is the British independent specialist — ante-post depth, published £100,000 max liabilities, a phone trader desk that lays six-figure bets, and on-course pitches at the major festivals.

For most racing punters, **Paddy Power is the stronger daily-use account**. The racing product has more features — Same Race Multi alone is the best racing bet builder on the UK market. The app is materially better. The welcome offer is eight times more generous on the £5/£40 ratio (vs Star Sports' Bet £40 Get £20 entry tier). Ireland-focused racing coverage is the deepest on the UK market. And Non-Runner No Bet runs on all 28 Cheltenham Festival races rather than four.

Star Sports earns its portfolio slot for narrower reasons: ante-post punters at size, phone bettors placing bets the app will refuse, and anyone who specifically values independent British ownership with a visible public face. For the casual multi-sport or daily racing punter, Paddy Power gets there first.

One honest note on the ante-post limits. Paddy Power's ante-post structure has a published headline of up to £1m liability on Class 1–2 races, but a **hidden £100,000 cap on Class 4–7 handicaps** that is buried in T&Cs. Star Sports' £100,000 maximum ante-post liability is published up front. For mid-stakes ante-post punters who live in the smaller handicaps, that transparency is worth noting even if the headline Paddy Power number is higher.

The rest of this page sets out where each operator is stronger, then gives the verdict for three racing-punter profiles.

## Head to Head

| Feature | Star Sports | Paddy Power | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welcome offer | Bet £40 Get £20 (1:0.5) | Bet £5 Get £40 (1:8) | **Paddy Power** |
| Best Odds Guaranteed | Withdrawn Dec 2024 | UK + Irish, opt-in, £1,000/day cap | **Paddy Power** |
| Cheltenham Festival NRNB | 4 of 28 races | **All 28 races** | **Paddy Power** |
| Grand National extra places | Standard only | **6 places** + Cheltenham handicap extras | **Paddy Power** |
| Racing bet builder | None | **Same Race Multi** — market-leading | **Paddy Power** |
| Racing streaming | UK & Irish, £1 qualifying bet | UK & Irish, funded account | Tie |
| Cash Out | Yes (partial disputed) | Full, partial, auto | **Paddy Power** |
| Payment methods | Debit + bank only | Full stack inc. PayPal, Apple Pay, CashCard+ | **Paddy Power** |
| App rating | iOS 3.2 · Android 3.1 | iOS 4.7 (209k reviews) · Android 4.5 | **Paddy Power** |
| Irish racing depth | Good | **Best on UK market** | **Paddy Power** |
| Ante-post published ceiling | **£100,000 published** | £1m Class 1–2; **unpublished discretionary caps on smaller handicaps** | **Star Sports** (transparency) |
| Phone trader desk for big bets | 0800 052 1321 — documented six-figure bets | Phone available, algorithmic risk | **Star Sports** |
| On-course pitch network | Pitches at all major festivals | Sponsor presence, no trader pitches | **Star Sports** |
| Independent ownership | Yes — Ben Keith sole owner | No — Flutter plc | **Star Sports** |

### Where Paddy Power is clearly ahead

**Same Race Multi is the killer feature for racing bet-builders.** Paddy Power's product lets you combine picks within one race — a jockey placed, a trainer's runner to win, a specific finishing distance — into one bet. It is the best racing bet-builder on the UK market, and Star Sports has nothing equivalent. For any punter whose betting is primarily multi-selection racing play, this alone is dispositive.

**Cheltenham NRNB coverage.** All 28 Festival races carry Non-Runner No Bet protection at Paddy Power. Star Sports extends NRNB to only four Championship races. That gap matters for ante-post betting on the non-Championship handicaps — where the value often sits.

**Grand National extra places.** Paddy Power runs 6 places on the 2026 Grand National plus enhanced places on Cheltenham handicaps. Star Sports runs industry-standard terms, no enhanced programme.

**App quality.** Paddy Power iOS at 4.7 stars from 209,000 reviews is a dramatically better daily-use product than Star Sports iOS at 3.2 from tens of reviews. The gap reflects real speed, reliability and feature depth.

**Welcome offer.** Paddy Power's Bet £5 Get £40 delivers eight times the reward for a quarter of the qualifying stake compared to Star Sports' Bet £40 Get £20 entry tier.

### Where Star Sports is clearly ahead

**Ante-post transparency.** Paddy Power's headline "£1m liability" figure applies to the top-class races; on the smaller handicaps most mid-stakes punters actually bet, per-market maximums are unpublished and set at trader discretion. Star Sports publishes £100,000 as the universal ceiling. For punters who want the cap visible, Star Sports wins on that dimension even if the absolute number is lower on the highest-class races.

**Phone trader desk at size.** Star Sports' documented big-layer reputation via Racing Post — £600,000 at 1/6 on Douvan and £400,000 at 2/7 on Altior — is not matched publicly by Paddy Power's phone operation, which is more algorithmic in its risk-profiling.

**On-course pitch network.** Star Sports has trader pitches at Cheltenham, Royal Ascot, Epsom, Goodwood and Aintree. Paddy Power has marketing and hospitality presence but not an active trader pitch operation.

**Independent British ownership.** Paddy Power is part of Flutter Entertainment, a global group. Star Sports is owned by Ben Keith, its founder and only person with significant control. For punters who specifically value independence, this is a genuine differentiator.

## Racing Punter's Verdict

### For the casual daily racing punter

Paddy Power is a strong fit. The app is among the best on the UK market, the welcome offer is generous, Same Race Multi is the leading racing bet-builder, extra places run on Cheltenham handicaps, and NRNB covers all 28 Festival races. For daily multi-sport punters, Paddy Power covers most needs.

Star Sports' positioning is different — built around ante-post depth at size, phone-betting through the trader desk, and on-course access at the major festivals. For those use cases, Star Sports adds a complementary specialist slot.

### For the ante-post specialist

Both have a place. Paddy Power's NRNB on all 28 Cheltenham races is broader safety-net coverage. Star Sports' published £100,000 ante-post max liability applies uniformly across markets — Paddy Power's £1m headline drops to £100k on Class 4–7 handicap markets per their published terms, so for mid-stakes handicap ante-post punters, the Star Sports cap is more transparently visible.

### For the big-staker phone bettor

Star Sports has the clearest documented evidence for laying six-figure bets by phone — Racing Post records specific liabilities on Douvan and Altior. Paddy Power's phone operation is competent and algorithmic; the published big-staker track record sits with Star Sports.

### For the racing bet-builder enthusiast

Paddy Power's Same Race Multi is the leading racing bet-builder in the UK market. Star Sports doesn't currently offer a racing-specific bet-builder — the football Build-a-Bet doesn't extend to horse racing. If bet-builder play is central to your style, Paddy Power covers that natively.

### The portfolio answer

For most racing punters, **open Paddy Power first** as the primary account — the racing product is feature-rich and the welcome offer suits a wide range of styles. Then **add Star Sports** as a specialist account for ante-post at size, phone betting, and on-course use. Both have clear roles in a serious racing portfolio.

See our [Star Sports review](/bookmakers/star-sports-review/) for the full audit.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Which has the better welcome offer, Star Sports or Paddy Power?

Paddy Power. Bet £5 Get £40 against Star Sports' Bet £40 Get £20 — you stake a quarter of the amount and receive four times the reward. The Paddy Power welcome offer is also more flexibly usable, with Bet Builder and accumulator tokens rather than Star Sports' 4/1-minimum, 24-hour-expiry tokens.

### Does Paddy Power have a racing bet builder that Star Sports doesn't?

Yes. Paddy Power's Same Race Multi is the market-leading racing bet builder on the UK market. Star Sports has no equivalent — the football Build-a-Bet does not extend to horse racing. For any punter whose betting is multi-selection racing play, this is a decisive difference.

### Which has better Cheltenham Festival coverage for ante-post?

Paddy Power, for NRNB breadth. Non-Runner No Bet runs on all 28 Cheltenham Festival races at Paddy Power. Star Sports has extended NRNB to only four Championship races (Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase, Stayers' Hurdle, Gold Cup). Combined with Paddy Power's extra-places on Cheltenham handicaps, the Festival package is stronger at Paddy Power.

### Star Sports has a published £100k ante-post limit — why do I care if Paddy Power's is higher?

Because Paddy Power's £1m headline figure applies to Class 1–2 races. The cap drops to £100,000 on Class 4–7 handicaps, and that cap is buried in the T&Cs rather than surfaced as the headline. For mid-stakes punters who bet the smaller handicaps, the Paddy Power ceiling is effectively £100,000 — the same as Star Sports — but less visible.

### Can Star Sports take bigger phone bets than Paddy Power?

On the available evidence, yes. Star Sports' trader desk on 0800 052 1321 is documented by Racing Post as laying specific six-figure bets — £600,000 at 1/6 on Douvan, £400,000 at 2/7 on Altior. Paddy Power's phone operation exists but does not have the same publicly documented big-layer track record.