Paddy Power Chatbot Betting: Text to Bet via Facebook Messenger

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Members of the popular Irish bookmaker, Paddy Power Betfair, have enjoyed the operator’s convenient ‘Text to Bet‘ technology for quite some time now. But thanks to new chatbot betting app, punters can now view odds and text their bets to an AI robot over Facebook Messenger.

The new chatbot app, officially titled Onionsack SaaS, is the brainchild of Onionsack, a software company that specializes in texting apps. Onionsack has a long history of business relationships with UK bookmakers, and its latest technology is sure to appeal to avid punters with a Paddy Power account.

When the technology first debuted in April at the F8 Facebook Developers Conference in California, Paddy Power jumped on the opportunity to be first to market with a real money chatbot betting option via Facebook.

This actually marks the operator’s second attempt to launch a Facebook betting option. The first attempt was in 2013, but Paddy Power abandoned the project in late 2014 due to a miserable lack of interest from UK punters.

Times have changed, though. Mobile gaming has overtaken the former superiority of desktop betting, and today’s younger generation of gamblers are texting via social networks more than ever.

“We know our customers love mobile messaging apps,” said Michael Healy, Product Director for the Irish bookmaker, “so having a chatbot on Facebook Messenger is the obvious first step. Nearly all of Paddy Power’s customers are on Facebook, and now they can actually place a bet through the Facebook Messenger app.”

Text to Bet Chatbot – How it Works

The term “chatbot” pretty much says it all. Punters will communicate via text message with a chatting robot. Users can download the Paddy Power bot, then log into their betting account via Facebook. From there, they can send the bot text messages via Messenger requesting one desired service or another.

Users can chat with the Paddy Power bot the same as they would with their friends. Its advanced AI technology allows it to read text messages and respond appropriately. Punters can do a lot more than text to bet. They will also be able to view odds on any available bets, including sporting events, entertainment, politics, etc., and receive live updates on any events they have wagered on.

Learn more about using PP Chatbot

The new chatbot betting technology has additional benefits for Paddy Power. The service can be used for a personalized marketing service, delivering odds on relevant match ups to users, encouraging them to place bets based on customized settings and preferences.

Chatbot Betting: Security and Responsibility

The UK Gambling Commission (IKGC) has very strict policies regarding responsible gaming and the protection of punters. This is one issue Paddy Power and Onionsack have yet to verbalize with the emergence of this enhanced text to bet technology.

What happens if a punter loses their mobile device? If it’s not locked, and is accessed by another person, they may be perfectly capable of infiltrating the original user’s account via the Facebook Messenger chatbot betting app.

Such risks already exist for mobile users who do banking over their devices. The UKGC may have to come up with all new regulatory guidelines for social media betting, designating how chatbots are and are not permitted to behave.