Peter Jackson: The Leader Who Built Flutter Into a Global Giant Steps Down After Nearly Nine Years
Peter Jackson has stepped down as Group Chief Executive Officer of Flutter Entertainment, closing a near nine-year run in which he took the company from a regional operator into the world’s leading online sports betting and iGaming business.
He left the role and the Board on 30 September 2026, handing over to Dan Taylor and staying on as an advisor through the end of the year. His exit is the moment to look back at what he did with the job, the bets that paid off, the deals that reshaped the company, and the leader he turned out to be.
It started in the Betfair boardroom
Jackson joined the Betfair Board as a Non-Executive Director in 2013, well before there was any sign he would one day run the company.
At that stage he was one voice among the directors, watching the business from the boardroom rather than steering it day to day. That vantage point would later prove valuable when the top job came up.
From non-executive to chief executive
He was chosen as CEO through a formal succession process announced in 2017, succeeding Breon Corcoran, and took over the role in 2018.
What began as a non-executive seat became the job of leading the business as it grew from a regional operator into the global leader in online sports betting and iGaming. The scale of that climb is why his departure has been a moment the industry watched closely.
The leader built outside gambling
Jackson arrived from outside the gambling industry, with a career that ran through consumer, banking and payments businesses. He began at McKinsey before moving into senior roles at HBOS and Lloyds Banking Group, led Travelex until its 2015 sale, headed Banco Santander’s innovation function, and ran WorldPay’s UK business immediately before joining.
That mix of consumer, technology and regulated-markets experience shaped how he ran the company, and it was the blend the Board had gone looking for when it appointed him. Alongside his Flutter role he also served as a non-executive director at Deliveroo.
Turning Paddy Power Betfair into Flutter
The company was renamed from Paddy Power Betfair to Flutter Entertainment in 2019, reflecting the growing spread of brands and geographies after the 2018 merger of its US business with FanDuel.
The new name marked a shift in ambition: no longer a pairing of two well-known brands, but a group built to house many of them across multiple markets.
The FanDuel bet that changed everything
Jackson took a chance on FanDuel when, by his own account, plenty of people thought the move was risky.
It proved one of the defining calls of his tenure, giving the company its platform in the United States and reshaping where its future growth would come from. Today Flutter holds a market-leading position in the US.
The deals that reshaped the group
Jackson brought Paddy Power Betfair and The Stars Group together just as Covid arrived, one of the largest and most complex integrations the sector had seen.
He also led the company onto the New York Stock Exchange, moving its centre of gravity towards its biggest growth market and completing its journey into a truly global operator.
Handing over to Dan Taylor
Jackson has handed over to Dan Taylor, an internal successor who has spent more than a decade at Flutter and was serving as CEO of Flutter International and Group President.
The Board framed the change as an orderly succession, and Jackson’s advisory role through year-end reinforces that. After a decade defined by bold bets and heavy integration, moving the top job to a long-serving insider usually points to continuity: the playbook that built the global leader is expected to carry on.
What comes next for Flutter
The announcement was clear on the handover, the dates and the record. What it did not spell out is where Taylor intends to take the business beyond continuing current momentum.
A new chief executive, however internal, brings his own priorities, and those will become visible now he is in the chair. For now, the direction of travel is continuity, with the detail to follow.
What Peter Jackson, the Chair and Dan Taylor said
Peter Jackson, outgoing Group CEO:
“It has been such a privilege to lead Flutter’s transformation, and I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved over nearly nine years. Flutter is a fantastic business, with a portfolio of world-class brands, talented colleagues and genuine competitive advantages.”
John Bryant, Chair of the Board:
“Under his leadership, Flutter has transformed from Paddy Power Betfair into the world’s leading online sports betting and iGaming operator. Peter leaves Flutter with gold medal positions around the world and exceptionally well positioned for the future.”
Dan Taylor, incoming Group CEO:
“I’m delighted to take on the role of Group Chief Executive Officer at such an important time for Flutter. Our priority will be to keep delivering for our colleagues, customers and shareholders, while building on the momentum we’ve created across the business.”
Source: Official announcement
