not finish' his first term (this was widely interpreted as his odds of assassination). After English Premier League new entrants Stoke City lost their opening game of the 2008–09 season 3–1 to Bolton Wanderers, Paddy Power controversially paid out on bets on them being relegated. When the club finished in mid-table at the end of the season the company took out a full page advert in The Sentinel apologising to the club and its supporters. In May 2010, Paddy Power acquired a majority stake in Australian bookmaker Sportsbet.com.au. In July 2010, the company took the unusual step of refunding bets placed on Felipe Massa to win the 2010 Germany Grand Prix following the notorious "team orders" incident, which led to Fernando Alonso being allowed to win the race, despite Massa's clear lead. In October 2011, the company paid out early on New Zealand winning the 2011 Rugby World Cup, four days before the final against France on 23 October 2011. The All Blacks were Paddy Power's 4/6 tournament favourites and were 1/9 odds on to win the final, with France at 13/2. The company boss said: 'New Zealand have left all of their opposition so far feeling black and blue and it's inevitable us bookies will be taking a hammering from them on Sunday too, so punters might as well collect now.' New Zealand did indeed go on to win the match. As of November 2011, Paddy Power was the largest bookmaker in Europe by total share value. Its group income was €444m in 2010. Paddy Power was placed 6th in the 2011 Management Today list of "Britain's Most Admired Companies". Paddy Power and British rival Betfair agreed terms for a merger in September 2015. The transaction was structured as an acquisition of Betfair by Paddy Power and the enlarged entity, named Paddy Power Betfair, is based in Dublin. The merger was completed in February 2016. Paddy Power CEO Andy McCue became COO of Paddy Power Betfair, with Breon Corcoran, CEO of Betfair, becoming CEO of the combined group and Paddy Power's Gary McGann becoming chairman. Andy McCue left the company in April 2016 to pursue other opportunities. In February 2020, Paddy Power won the GGA London "Betting Shop Operator of the Year" award. In July 2021, it won for a second consecutive year. June 2022 saw the launch of the Paddy Power Games vertical which replaced the online casino