Bet365 Foundation


Born26 September 1967 (age 53)
NationalityBritish
EducationUniversity of Sheffield
OccupationBusinesswoman
Known forFounder and joint CEO, Bet365
Net worthUS$10.2 billion (February 2021)[1]
Spouse(s)Richard Smith
Children5
Parent(s)Peter Coates
RelativesJohn Coates (brother)

Bet365 foundation 24 Aug 2012 - 12 Feb 2016 Tell us what you think of this service (link opens a new window) Is there anything wrong with this page? Denise Coates Foundation's charitable objectives: To promote such charitable purposes anywhere in the world for the public benefit as are exclusively charitable according to the laws of england and wales as the trustees may in their absolute discretion determine, in particular but not exclusively thrOugh the provision or assistance in the. Coates set up the Bet365 Foundation in August 2012, and in February 2016 it was renamed to Denise Coates Foundation. It is a registered charity under English law and it donated £100 million to twenty UK charities as of 2014. Bet365, one of the world's leading online gambling companies, is a driving force in the development of enterprise and Internet technology. Established by Denise Coates CBE in 2000, we have rapidly.

Denise CoatesCBE (born 26 September 1967) is a British billionaire businesswoman, the founder and joint chief executive of online gambling company Bet365.[2]

In October 2019, Forbes magazine estimated Coates's net worth at $12.2 billion.[3] In 2018, Coates was paid a £323 million, which included a 50 per cent share of a £92.5m company dividend.[4] As of 2019, Coates is the highest paid chief executive of any UK company and one of the wealthiest woman in Britain according to the Sunday Times Rich list.[4][5]

Early life[edit]

Denise Coates was born the eldest daughter of Peter Coates, chairman of Stoke City F.C. and a director of Bet365. She earned a first class degree in econometrics from the University of Sheffield.[6]

Business career[edit]

While at school, Coates started work in the cashiers' department of Provincial Racing, a bookmaking firm owned by her family. After leaving university, she continued to work at Provincial Racing, as an accountant. Following this, Coates became managing director over the small chain of shops in 1995. That same year, Coates obtained a loan from Barclays to acquire a neighbouring chain.[7]

Bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown in April 2011

Bet365[edit]

In January 2000, Coates purchased the domain name Bet365.com.[8] Bet365.com was launched in 2001 as an online betting site. The business borrowed £15 million from RBS against the family's betting shop estate. In 2005, these shops were sold to Coral for £40 million, which allowed Coates to pay off the loan to RBS.

As of 2016, Bet365 is one of the world's largest online gambling companies, with $2 billion in revenues and facilitating $45 billion in yearly bets. The company also owns a majority stake in Stoke City Football Club. In 2015, Bet365 moved its headquarters from Stoke to Gibraltar because of its favourable regulations. Coates still runs the company alongside her brother, and co-CEO, John Coates.[9]

Coates is the majority shareholder with 50.01% of Bet365. Her personal fortune is estimated at $12 billion, as of December 2019.[1]

In 2017, Coates was criticised for paying herself £217 million, with Mike Dixon, CEO of Addaction, saying 'It cannot be right that the CEO of a betting company is paid 22 times more than the whole industry ‘donates’ to treatment.'[10] In 2018, it was announced that her salary had increased to £265 million, around 9,500 times more than the average UK salary, with Luke Hildyard of the High Pay Centre commenting, 'Obviously, people who build successful companies need to be rewarded for their hard work, but this is an obscene amount of money for someone who is already a billionaire. It's weird to think that someone so rich would want to get their hands on even more, rather than put it to a more useful purpose.'[11]

Denise Coates Foundation[edit]

Coates set up the Bet365 Foundation in August 2012, and in February 2016 it was renamed to Denise Coates Foundation. It is a registered charity under English law[12] and it donated £100 million[13] to twenty UK charities as of 2014.

Charities which have received funds include Oxfam, CAFOD, the Douglas Macmillan Hospice for cancer sufferers in Stoke, and relief programmes for victims caught in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. University scholarships and theatre donations have also been offered.[14][15]

The Foundation pledged £230,000[16] to St Joseph's College, in Trent Vale, for the school's work to help support vulnerable young people in Bo, Sierra Leone.

In March 2020 the foundation granted £235,000 to The New Vic Theatre in Newcastle-under-Lyme for essential refurbishment and redevelopment.[17][18]

Bet365 FoundationMobile

In April 2020, Coates donated £10 million through her foundation to University Hospitals of North Midlands to support staff fighting coronavirus.[19]

Personal life[edit]

Coates is married to Richard Smith, and they live in Betchton near Sandbach, Cheshire.[6][10] She drives an Aston Martin with personalised number plates bearing her initials.[8]

They have five children, including four that in March 2014 were reported as being 'recently adopted from the same family'.[7][1][20]

Honours and awards[edit]

In January 2012, Coates was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to the community and business.[21] In 2012, she received an honorary doctorate from Staffordshire University.[6]

In 2013, Coates was named as one of the 100 most powerful women in the UK by Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4.[22]

In 2019, Coates was inducted to the Sports Betting Hall of Fame run by Sports Betting Community (SBC) for her leadership in the gambling industry.[23]

References[edit]

  1. ^ abc'Forbes profile: Denise Coates'. Forbes. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  2. ^Gill, Oliver; Foy, Simon (18 December 2019). 'Bet365's Denise Coates cements place as world's best-paid woman with £320m payday'. The Telegraph. ISSN0307-1235. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  3. ^'Denise Coates'. Forbes. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  4. ^ ab'Subscribe to read Financial Times'. www.ft.com. Retrieved 19 December 2019.Cite uses generic title (help)
  5. ^'The Sunday Times Rich List 2020: The 10 richest women in Britain'. uk.finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  6. ^ abc'Denise Coates CBE'. Staffordshire University. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  7. ^ abPagano, Margareta (4 March 2014). 'Against the odds: Denise Coates's good fortune'. The Independent. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  8. ^ abBowers, Simon (8 June 2010). 'Denise Coates: the hidden 24/7 woman behind Bet365'. The Guardian. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  9. ^correspondent, Rupert Neate Wealth (21 November 2018). 'Bet365 founder paid herself an 'obscene' £265m in 2017'. The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
  10. ^ abNeate, Rupert (12 November 2017). 'Bet365 chief Denise Coates paid herself £217 million last year'. The Guardian. ISSN0261-3077. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  11. ^'UK's best-paid boss earns £265m'. BBC News. 21 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
  12. ^'DENISE COATES FOUNDATION, registered charity no. 1149110'. Charity Commission for England and Wales.
  13. ^Bowers, Simon (11 July 2014). 'Bet365's Denise Coates sets up £100m charity foundation'. The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
  14. ^University, Staffordshire. 'Denise Coates Foundation awards a hundred bursaries to Staffordshire University students'. Staffordshire University. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  15. ^'ewb'. www.empoweringwb.org.uk. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
  16. ^'Bet365 Foundation Donation'.
  17. ^Elliott, Louise (29 June 2020). 'North Staffordshire theatre set to undergo £750,000 refurbishment'. stokesentinel. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  18. ^'NEW VIC THEATRE RECEIVES MAJOR INVESTMENT FROM DENISE COATES FOUNDATION FOR AUDITORIUM REFURBISHMENT PROJECT'. New Vic Theatre. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  19. ^'Bet365 boss donates £10m to NHS for coronavirus'. BBC News. 7 April 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  20. ^Evans, Peter (12 November 2017). 'Bet365 co-founder Denise Coates's £200m payday'. The Times. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  21. ^'Denise Coates is among those named in New Year Honours'. BBC News. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  22. ^'Denise Coates CBE'. BBC. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  23. ^'SBC announces new inductees to Sports Betting Hall of Fame'. SBC News. 30 August 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Denise_Coates&oldid=1008303713'

Denise, John and Peter Coates

One year’s profits turned the Coats family into major philanthropists

They made a profit of £319 million ($510 million) in one year and took£100 million ($160 million) of that to set up a charitable foundation. Too good to be true? No, that is exactly what the British Coates family did when their online gambling operation bet365 more than doubled its profits in 2013.

According to the 2015 Sunday Times Rich List, Denise, John and Peter Coates are worth an estimated £2.3 billion ($3.7 billion). Their wealth makes them the 44th richest family in Britain.

It’s hard to believe that it was only fourteen years ago that Denise Coates started bet365 from a car park in Stoke. She was joined by her brother John as co-CEO, while Peter Coates holds the position of chairman of the online betting business.

No doubt the two Coates children have a lot to thank their father for. Peter Coates was the youngest of a Stoke miner’s 14 children, with dreams of playing professional football, but he was “not quite good enough”.

Bet365 Foundation Mobile

Instead Peter Coates became a businessman, founding Stadia Catering in the1960s and Signal Radio in 1983. He also started Provincial Racing, a bookmaking firm. And although his football playing dreams never come true, he became chairman of Stoke City Football Club.

Bet365 Foundation Stock

Already early on it was clear that Denise Coates would follow in her father’s footsteps. She started working in the cashiers’ department of Provincial Racing while still at school. After obtaining a first class degree in econometrics Denise Coates also trained as an accountant, before taking over the small chain of bookmaking shops.

In 2001 Denise Coates convinced John Coates, who studied law and started his career as an attorney, to join her in launching bet365. The rest is history. Her success was also recognized outside the betting industry in 2011 when she was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

The bet365 Foundation, set up as a result of the family’s remarkable profits in 2013, supports a wide range of community initiatives. Its core objective is to work through UK-registered charities to provide front-line funding that is used to make a positive difference in people’s lives.

By July 2015 the bet365 Foundation had become the largest charity in Britain’s West Midlands. According to data from Charity Financials it helped the region to increase its charity revenue by 10.2%.

Some of the first beneficiaries of the bet365 Foundation were Oxfam, Cafod, the Douglas Macmillan Hospice for cancer sufferers in Stoke, as well as relief programs for victims caught in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

If the cause is convincing, bet365 has proven it is prepared to give. For example, after seeing a presentation by St Joseph’s College in Trent Vale, Denise Coates was so impressed by the school’s work to help vulnerable young people in Sierra Leone’s second city of Bo, that the foundation pledged £230,000 ($345,000) to the college. The money is meant to pay for new classrooms, educational equipment, a generator, a well for fresh water, and even a minibus.

Grants

More recently, the bet365 Foundation made a significant donation to University Hospitals of North Midlands Charitable Fundto purchase advanced gynecological equipment. Mark Hackett, chief executive of the hospital, described the contribution as invaluable as the surgical equipment would significantly add to the options available to patients.

Denise Coates said about the donation: “Getting woman the help they need as early as possible is essential for improving their treatment and long-term health. It is a huge privilege to be able to support the excellent work of University Hospitals of North Midlands.”

In the latest philanthropic gesture, the University of Bristol Law School, where John Coates studied, announced a £80,000 ($120,000) bursary schemefinanced by the bet365 Foundation to support 40 students from low-income backgrounds. Successful applicants will receive a bursary of £2,000 ($3,000)each, providing crucial support in their first year.

John Coates said about the support that the transition from school to academia can be rough for under-represented students: “With the bet365 Foundation bursaries we hope to support students in this character building year and help them lay foundations for future success.”

One of the biggest and most appreciated contributions by the bet365 Foundation was when Denise Coates pledged £250,000 ($365,000) towards saving the Wedgwood Collection. This collection has been described as one of the most important industrial archives in the world and a unique record of over 250 years of British art and history.

“We’re delighted that the bet365 Foundation has been able to support such a worthwhile campaign so close to home. Having supported causes around the world, it’s particularly rewarding that we’ve been able to support a collection that has such significant support from the local community,” Denise Coates said.

Father Peter Coates is also making a personal contribution to charitable causes whenever he can. In 2014 he supported Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic to raise £50,000 ($80,000) for his charity to encourage more young people to participate in sport, along with a scheme to open a multi-purpose sports facility for children with special needs in his homeland, Bosnia.Peter Coates matched donations of £25,000 ($40,000) raised by Asmir and his supporters to double the takings.

With such a promising and laudable track record after only two years, there is much anticipation as to what the bet365 Foundation will continue to contribute to charitable causes in the years to come.

Sources:

Bowers, Simon. (2014, July 11). Bet365’s Denise Coates sets up £100m charity foundation. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jul/11/bet365-denise-coates-charity-foundation

James, Laura. (2015, April 26). Coates family’s £2.3 billion fortune ‘a good sign’ for Stoke City. The Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved from http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Coates-family-s-2-3-billion-fortune-good-sign/story-26389165-detail/story.html

Bet 365 Foundation drives West Midlands income growth. (2015, July 27). Retrieved from http://www.charityfinancials.com/charity-financials-insider/bet365-foundation-drives-west-midlands-income-growth-1614.html

Bet365 Foundation Logo

bet365 Foundation Donation Brings Advanced Gynecological Equipment to UHNM. (2015, April 14). http://www.uhnm.nhs.uk/news/pages/bet365-Foundation-Donation-Brings-Advanced-Gynaecological-Equipment-to-UHNM.aspx

University of Bristol Law School announces 2015-16 bet365 Foundation bursary scheme for under-represented students. (2015, September 25). Retrieved from http://www.bristol.ac.uk/law/news/2015/bet365.html

Bet365 Foundation

Stoke City chairman Peter Coates helps Asmir Begovic Foundation raise £50,000 at the Brittania Stadium. (2014, September 16). The Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved from http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Stoke-City-chairman-Peter-Coates-helps-Asmir/story-22930327-detail/story.html