Matchbook Acquires Betdaq, Uniting Two of the Oldest Betting Exchanges
The Alderney-based exchange is folding Dermot Desmond’s Betdaq into one deeper liquidity pool, betting that the rise of prediction markets has put peer-to-peer pricing back in fashion.
Joash Boyton · Acquiry Deal Intelligence
Matchbook, the peer-to-peer betting exchange and market technology business, announced on 14 October 2026 that it has completed the acquisition of Betdaq, the exchange founded in 2000 by Irish businessman Dermot Desmond. The deal brings together two of the longest-running betting exchanges in the world.
Matchbook says the combination pairs Betdaq’s heritage with its own pricing, liquidity and technology in a single, deeper pool, which it expects to mean tighter spreads, bigger fills and better prices for customers (SBC News).
- Year Dermot Desmond founded Betdaq
- 2000
- Year Matchbook was founded
- 2004
- Last day of trading on Betdaq
- 21 Oct
Two exchanges built on the same idea since the early 2000s
Betdaq was one of the first betting exchanges anywhere when Desmond, a long-standing investor in Celtic and formerly Manchester United, launched it from Dublin in 2000. Matchbook followed in 2004 and is headquartered in Alderney in the Channel Islands. Both built their businesses on letting customers bet against each other at market-made prices, with the exchange taking a commission rather than a bookmaker’s margin.
“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. A quarter of a century on, that idea is winning: 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.”
Prediction markets are driving demand for peer-to-peer betting
Matchbook ties the deal directly to the growth of prediction markets, which it says has renewed demand for peer-to-peer models like the traditional exchange. In December 2025 it became the first UK company to launch a prediction markets platform, and in June 2026 it signed a white-label deal with ADI PredictStreet, the official prediction market partner of the 2026 FIFA World Cup (SBC News). It has also grown through easyBet, its partnership with easyGroup (NEXT.io).
In the UK, the deal leaves four major betting exchanges: Matchbook, the Betfair Exchange, Spreadex and Smarkets. McDonagh has said Matchbook was already gradually growing its market share; adding Betdaq’s customers and liquidity speeds that up in one step.
What happens to Betdaq customers
Customer timetable
- The existing Betdaq service, operated by EPS Ltd, stays open for trading until 21 October 2026.
- Betdaq accounts stay open for withdrawals until 4 November 2026.
- Customer funds are protected in line with the operators’ regulatory obligations.
- Key dates and customer details are published on Betdaq’s website.
“Our first priority through this transition is Betdaq’s customers: 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. Everything we are doing, this deal included, is about making the exchange first choice.”
- December 2025Matchbook launches the first UK prediction markets platform.
- June 2026White-label deal with ADI PredictStreet, official prediction market partner of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
- 14 October 2026Matchbook announces it has completed the acquisition of Betdaq.
- 21 October 2026Trading closes on the existing Betdaq service.
- 4 November 2026Last day for withdrawals from Betdaq accounts.
What it shows about exchange and prediction market M&A
In an exchange, liquidity is the product: the more money matched in one place, the better the prices for everyone. That makes consolidation between exchanges unusually logical, and Matchbook is using a heritage brand to deepen its pool just as prediction markets bring new customers to the peer-to-peer model.
For owners of exchanges, prediction market platforms, trading technology and B2B betting infrastructure, the deal is a clear sign that strategic buyers want liquidity and customers they can move onto their own platform. Acquiry works with buyers looking for exactly these businesses. See the buy-side searches we are running, or start a confidential conversation.
Questions on the deal
Who has acquired Betdaq?
Matchbook, the Alderney-based betting exchange and market technology business founded in 2004, announced on 14 October 2026 that it has completed the acquisition of Betdaq.
Who founded Betdaq?
Irish businessman Dermot Desmond founded Betdaq in Dublin in 2000, making it one of the first betting exchanges in the world.
When does Betdaq close?
The existing Betdaq service, operated by EPS Ltd, stays open for trading until 21 October 2026. Accounts remain open for withdrawals until 4 November 2026.
Why did Matchbook buy Betdaq?
Matchbook says combining the two exchanges creates a single, deeper liquidity pool with tighter spreads, bigger fills and better prices, as prediction markets drive renewed demand for peer-to-peer betting.
Which betting exchanges are left in the UK?
After the deal, the four major UK betting exchanges are Matchbook, the Betfair Exchange, Spreadex and Smarkets.
Related on Acquiry
Written by
Joash BoytonFounder and Managing Director, Acquiry
Joash builds acquisition pipelines for strategic buyers and private equity, with long-running work across iGaming, betting, affiliates and gambling technology.
Sources
- Matchbook builds on prediction markets momentum with Betdaq takeover (14 October 2026) · SBC News
- Matchbook acquires Dermot Desmond’s Betdaq (14 October 2026) · NEXT.io
- Matchbook completes acquisition of Betdaq (14 October 2026) · Gambling News
- Matchbook · Matchbook
- Betdaq · Betdaq
