Denise Coates, the head of betting giant Bet365, has solidified her standing as one of the UK’s highest-paid executives, with her remuneration package reaching at least £280 million over the past year.
The billionaire entrepreneur, who co-runs the Stoke-based firm with her brother, received this substantial total pay deal despite the company reporting weaker profits.
Newly filed Companies House accounts for the business indicate Ms Coates was allocated a salary of £104 million for the financial year ending March 2025. The accounts also reveal the company distributed a £353.6 million dividend to shareholders for the year, over three times the previous year’s payout.
She will be eligible for at least half of this, or almost £177 million, as majority shareholder of the business.
Ms Coates therefore received at least £280 million for the year, representing a sharp rise from the roughly £159 million deal she got last year.
It takes her total pay and dividends to around £1.8 billion for the past eight years.
The increase comes after the group reported stronger revenues, which rose 9% to 4.04 billion for the year, on the back of growth in both its sports and gaming operations.
Growth benefited from a “successful” Euro 2024 tournament during the financial year and expansion into new markets.
However, the pay increase also came despite the group revealing that pre-tax profits slid to £338.5 million from £596.3 million a year earlier.
In May, the Guardian reported Ms Coates and her family were assessing a potential sale of the business which could value it at up to £9 billion.
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