The company's eponymous spokesman, Paddy Power, said the World Cup, which kicked off in Germany on Friday, would be a much bigger betting event than the 2002 tournament held in Japan and Korea.

Paddy Power will reap the bene"t of a much more favourable time difference, he said, with matches taking place during the afternoon and early evening, while betting shops are still open.

"The turnover on matches is going to be huge. It's going to be more than double the last World Cup, " he said.

Power said most of the money wagered by Irish punters to date has been on England. "This is the "rst time ever in a tournament where the Irish public are getting behind England, " he said.

Poland is the next most heavily-backed nation, thanks to the 140,000-strong Polish community in Ireland. Perennial World Cup favourites Brazil have also attracted heavy betting.

"With an England/Brazil "nal we just can't win. We'll just watch it in the boozer like everyone else, " he said. Conor Brophy