James Maxwell
Founder & Editor · Last reviewed 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 £30 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 six times more generous. 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 £20 Get £10 (1:0.5) | Bet £5 Get £30 (1:6) | 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| Best Odds Guaranteed | Withdrawn Dec 2024 | UK + Irish, opt-in, £1,000/day cap | Paddy Power |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; £100,000 hidden cap on Class 4–7 | 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 £30 delivers six times the reward for a quarter of the qualifying stake compared to Star Sports' Bet £20 Get £10.
Where Star Sports is clearly ahead
Ante-post transparency. The Paddy Power £100,000 hidden cap on Class 4–7 handicap ante-post bets is a material point — the headline "£1m liability" figure does not apply to most of the races mid-stakes punters bet. 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, £400,000 at 2/7 on Altior, £600,000 on Energumene — 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, sole shareholder. For punters who specifically value independence, this is a genuine differentiator.
Racing Punter's Verdict
For the casual daily racing punter
Winner: Paddy Power. Better welcome offer, better app, Same Race Multi, extra places on the big handicaps, NRNB on all 28 Cheltenham races, full e-wallet payment stack, and the deepest Irish racing coverage on the UK market. Star Sports has almost nothing to say to this punter that Paddy Power does not deliver more generously.
For the ante-post specialist
Winner: Paddy Power for breadth, Star Sports for transparency at mid-stakes. Paddy Power's NRNB on all 28 Cheltenham races is a genuine safety net. Star Sports' published £100,000 ante-post ceiling is transparent and applies uniformly — Paddy Power's hidden £100k cap on Class 4–7 handicaps means the "£1m liability" headline is misleading for many mid-stakes punters. Open both; use Paddy Power for NRNB coverage and Cheltenham Championship races, Star Sports for early-price ante-post on classes where the cap transparency matters.
For the big-staker phone bettor
Winner: Star Sports. Ben Keith's trader desk has the clearest documented evidence for laying six-figure bets by phone — Racing Post records specific liabilities on Douvan, Altior and Energumene. Paddy Power's phone operation is competent but more algorithmic in its risk-profiling and less publicly known for big-layer behaviour.
For the racing bet-builder enthusiast
Winner: Paddy Power, clearly. Same Race Multi is the best racing bet-builder in the UK market. Star Sports has no racing bet-builder at all — the football Build-a-Bet does not extend to racing. If bet-builder play is your betting style, this decides the choice by itself.
The portfolio answer
For most racing punters, open Paddy Power first as the primary account — the racing product is more feature-rich, the welcome offer is more generous, the app is materially better, and the Cheltenham NRNB coverage is more complete. Then add Star Sports as a specialist account for ante-post at size, phone betting, and on-course use. For the narrow segment of punters whose betting is almost entirely ante-post at mid-stakes or on the phone, Star Sports reverses that order.
See our Star Sports review for the full audit.
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