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The betting world is making its mark on the UK’s elite rankings. Denise Coates and other major gambling executives have climbed the Sunday Times Rich List, reflecting the sector’s growing financial power and continued global expansion.
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Denise Coates, founder of bet365, has moved up four spots on the Sunday Times Rich List alongside her father Peter and brother John. The Coates family is now ranked 16th, with a reported net worth of £9.45 billion ($12.6 billion). Coates, who launched the online sportsbook in 2001 using a £15 million ($19.9 million) loan secured against her family’s retail betting shops, remains the richest woman in the UK.
Their climb highlights just how powerful the gambling sector has become in the broader business landscape.
The Coates family is not alone in seeing rising fortunes. Mark Scheinberg, the man behind PokerStars, jumped from 41st to 28th on the Rich List. His estimated wealth now stands at £5.08 billion ($6.75 billion).
Fred and Peter Done, founders of Betfred, also saw a major bump in their rankings, moving up from 76th to 58th, with a combined fortune of £2.92 billion ($3.88 billion).
Other names in the betting world also made the list. Michael Tabor of BetVictor, PartyGaming founder Ruth Parasol, and Tony Bloom of StarLizard and Brighton and Hove Albion were all featured.
On the flip side, Richard and Ian Livingstone, who hold a stake in Evolution, dropped from 28th to 34th, though their combined wealth remains at a strong £5.73 billion ($7.61 billion).
Meanwhile, speculation around the future of bet365 has picked up. Reports from The Guardian suggest that the company may be exploring several strategic options, including a partial or full sale. The Coates family is said to have spoken with U.S. financial advisers and Wall Street firms about possible scenarios.
Another path being discussed is floating bet365 on the U.S. stock exchange, or even selling a stake to a private equity group. That move would allow the Coates family to maintain control while tapping into new funding and access to the fast-growing U.S. betting market.
The potential valuation for bet365 has been pegged at around $12 billion. That would place it in the same range as FanDuel, now owned by Flutter, and just behind DraftKings, which carries a valuation of more than $17 billion.