Bookmaker Paddy Power has announced it will create up to 250 new jobs at its headquarters in Tallaght in Dublin over the next three-and-a-half years.
Paddy Power, which already employs 640 people in Dublin, is recruiting as part of its strategy of international expansion into the online sports betting market.
The company is to recruit 50 people with skills in technology and risk management by next summer, with the remainder generated over three subsequent years.
This morning, Paddy Power has said it is lending its bet pricing and risk expertise to the French state controlled horse racing betting system, called PMU, for a five-year period from next year.
PMU is Europe's largest betting organisation with €9.3bn of sales in 2008 generated through 10,000 retail outlets.
This morning PMU announced it plans to become an online player for sports betting.
In that regard, this is an enormous opportunity for Paddy Power, making the company a significant exporter of services from its Tallaght base.
Paddy Power is already the largest online bookmaker in the UK and it has also grown strongly in Australia over the last year.
Chief executive Patrick Kennedy said Paddy Power was looking for more overseas opportunities.
Global online betting has an estimated current turnover of €50bn, but that is set to double in the coming years.
All of the 250 jobs to come on stream in Tallaght will be for people with graduate skills in areas like IT and e-commerce.
