Paddy Power is one of the largest online gaming operators around – certainly the biggest in Ireland, anyway. They offer a full service gaming experience in that they support just about every type of online gambling that it's possible to indulge in.

I am not kidding about this. Visit the site and you'll see for yourself the sheer extent of the catalogue.

Software and licensing

Paddy Power is serious about their penetration into the UK and EU marketplaces, and so they are licensed and regulated by the Alderney Gaming Commission, which is on the UK's whitelist. This means that it adheres to the UK standard for online gaming – simply put: no funny business.

However, it does also mean that players from the USA won't be able to indulge here – at least, not until the law changes.

In terms of the actual software, it depends what you want to do. If you're visiting the site to place a bet on a sporting fixture, then you don't need to worry about software at all because it all takes place inside the browser. Casino games can be played in the browser also, or via a downloadable program if you're a Windows user.

The browser software runs on any platform, including Macs, so you shouldn't have an issue there.

Game selection

Overwhelming. You can make bets on sporting events or other major news events such as the latest celebrity fad. There's also a financials section where you can make bets about whether stocks are going to go up or down.

There is a full selection of casino games on offer, supplied by WagerWorks – more than 100 different titles including some cracking video slots and a good set of some of the most respected and classic casino table games you could wish to play.

Then there's a poker room – and by poker we don't mean Red Dog or War or Pai Gow. We mean proper poker: Texas Hold'em with no limit betting, Omaha in both Pot Limit and Hi/Lo format – stuff like that.

Plus, you can buy into a ton of different lotteries, and even play cut throat bingo games here. And if that wasn't enough, there's even a version of this site that lets you play its games on your mobile phone

Bonuses

The sign up bonus available at Paddy Power is extremely generous, and is available in either British Pounds or Euros depending on which currency you'd like to use – for the sake of simplicity we'll just say “credits”.

As a thank you for signing up, you'll receive a 100% match on your first deposit that could yield as much as 500 credits free. In addition to this, there are a long stream of ongoing weekly bonuses available, so it's hardly the last time you're going to see free credit from Paddy Power.

Support

Support is available over the telephone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Of course, you can always send them an email if you prefer.