Matchbook buys Betdaq and brings together in a single platform two historical bets between users
Betdaq will stop accepting bets on October 21 and its customers will be able to withdraw their money until November 4.
Matchbook has bought Betdaq, one of the world's oldest platforms where users can bet against each other.
The difference with a traditional bookmaker is simple. In a bookmaker, the customer plays against the company. On a platform like Betdaq or Matchbook, one user bets that something will happen and another bets that it won't. The platform simply puts them in contact and charges a commission.
Betdaq was born in 2000 and has been working with this model for more than two decades.
With the purchase, Matchbook seeks to bring more users together in one place. The more people there are betting, the easier it is to find someone who wants to accept the opposite bet.
Betdaq will continue to operate until October 21, 2026. From that date it will stop accepting new bets.
Customers will be able to log in to their accounts until November 4 to check their details and withdraw the money they have deposited.
Any bets or positions that are open will not be automatically moved to Matchbook, so users who want to continue using this system will need to open a new account.
In practice, the operation means that two betting communities are now concentrated on a single platform.
The agreement also comes at a time when models in which users negotiate directly with each other are growing, both in sports betting and in new prediction markets.
