UK: Owners of Betfred and Bet365 rank second and third in major tax contributors list

Fred and Peter Done, owners of Betfred, and the Coates Family, owners of Bet365, have ranked second and third place in the Sunday Times Tax List, which features the major taxpayers in the UK. The latest ranking reaffirms the financial impact of the sector in the country. 

It is the seventh time the paper has drawn up a table of who pays the most to the exchequer, published before the self-assessment deadline next Friday.

Fred and Peter Done

As per the released data, the owners of Betfred paid £273.4 million ($285.09 million), and the Coates family paid £265 million ($276.3 million). bet365 maintained its stable position compared to last year, but the company saw a drop in the amount paid in taxes. By 2024, the Coates family had shelled out £375.9 million.

Meanwhile, the Done brothers and their family moved up two positions on the list, significantly increasing the amount paid compared to last year. They jumped from £204.6 million ($213.3 million) in 2024 to £273.4 million in 2025. 

Chris Hohn, founder of Children’s Investment Fund Management, was the only one to outperform the betting entrepreneurs. He paid an outstanding £339.5 million (about $423.15 million) in taxes to the British government.

Denise Coates

The recent UK budget did not bring any changes to taxes applied to the betting sector. Still, companies continue to report mixed financial results. bet365’s financial report for the 2024 financial year highlighted a considerable increase in profits, while the salary of Denise Coates, the company’s CEO, was reduced. 

While Betfred's 2023 annual report showed a 25.6% increase in revenue, operating profit suffered a significant drop of 98.7%.