Bet365 boss Denise Coates’s pay package rises to £280m

Denise Coates, the founder and chief executive of Bet365, received a pay package of at least £280m in 2025, marking another year as one of Britain’s highest-paid bosses.

Her total earnings jumped by more than two thirds from almost £158m a year earlier, despite profits at the gambling firm tumbling.

Ms Coates was awarded £104m in salary in the year to March 2025, Companies House filings show.

In addition, as a majority shareholder in Bet365, she was entitled to at least half of the £354m dividend payment declared by the firm for the year.

The £280m package means she has earned more than £2bn from Bet365 over the past decade.

Campaign group the High Pay Centre condemned Ms Coates’s pay as too high.

Director Andrew Speke said: “Denise Coates is well-liked in Stoke for being self-made and giving back to her community.

“But the eye-watering sums she earns go far beyond what anyone needs for a life of luxury – and her fortune comes from an industry that has caused real harm to too many people.”

Bet365 has been approached for comment.

Her latest pay deal came as Bet365’s pre-tax profit fell to £349m for the year, from £627m previously. Overall revenue rose by 9%, from £3.7bn a year earlier to £4bn.

Ms Coates founded Bet365 in a portable building in a Stoke-on-Trent car park more than 20 years ago. It is now the biggest private sector employer in the city and offers sports betting, poker, casino games and bingo online to millions of customers worldwide.

She is one of Britain’s richest women and among the world’s highest-paid executives.

After training as an accountant, Ms Coates helped build Bet365 into one of the biggest online gambling companies from her father’s bookmaking business. Her brother, John Coates, is a co-chief executive of the company.

As well as being one of the UK’s best-paid bosses, Ms Coates is reportedly among the country’s biggest taxpayers. Her £104m salary would see her pay tens of millions in income tax and national insurance.

Bet365 also said the company paid £482m of tax in the year to March, up from £364m a year earlier, including tax on dividend payments.

During the year, Bet365 donated £130m to the Denise Coates Foundation, which donates to charities covering education, arts and culture and health.