The three former directors of Paddy Power plc picked a decent time to put their concerns over the ill effects of gambling in the spotlight.
Stop Gambling Harm Now is being launched just as the Irish government publishes legislation on gambling regulations. It is likely to keep a close eye on its work.
Yet the three men are also looking to influence an even great power: shareholders who control the world’s biggest betting companies.
Former chief executive Stewart Kenny, chairman Fintan Drury and Ian Armitage, former director of Mercury Asset Management, Paddy Power’s first institutional backer, were instrumental in the rise of the bookmaker, which is now part of Flutter Entertainment, the world biggest sports betting company.
Mercury was the institutional shareholder that brought Paddy
