Betfred and Bet365's owners are among the top five highest-ranking UK taxpayers.

Two of the top five taxpayers in the UK are the owners of Betfred, Fred and Peter Done, and Bet365, Denise, John, and Peter Coates. 

The families pay more than the Weston and Sir James Dyson families, as well as Sir Tim Martin, the proprietor of the UK pub chain JD Wetherspoons, who are ranked fourth and third, respectively. The only two people who paid more than the proprietors of the gambling companies were XTX Markets' owner Alex Gerko and former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone.  

The proprietors of Betfred and Bet365 collectively paid the UK government £580.5 million ($736.3 million) in taxes; the Dones contributed £204.6 million and the Coates £375.9 million.  

The Coates have been among the highest-paying taxpayers in the UK for a number of years; in 2019, after paying £276 million in taxes, she was crowned Britain's highest taxpayer. Denise Coates held this role in 2021 even though she took a £170 million pay cut.  

Bet365 has made money even though it lost its top spot. In 2023, it made £3.39 billion, a 19% rise from the previous year. In spite of this, the business declared an operational loss of £24.5 million, with some attributing the loss to the company's increased spending over the year.  

Although Betfred has not yet released its 2023 financial results, the business expanded significantly that year, opening in Virginia in February and establishing a new sportsbook in partnership with Mohegan Sun in Las Vegas. In the most recent edition of Gambling Insider, we had a conversation with Joanne Whittaker, the company's current CEO, regarding her goals for the business and her experience working with Fred Done.  

Author of the Harry Potter series J.K. Rowling and singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran were two more well-known figures to reach the list of the richest taxpayers. They paid £40 million and £36 million in taxes, respectively, placing them as the 31st and 32nd highest taxpayers in the nation.