Gambling dynasties dominate 2026 Sunday Times Rich List
- The bet365-owning Coates family dropped one place to 17th in the 2026 Sunday Times Rich List, despite growing their fortune by £283m to £9.73bn.
- Betfred owners Fred and Peter Done were the biggest movers among gambling names, jumping 11 places to 46th after a near-£700m wealth increase.
- The 38th edition of the list showed the UK’s 350 richest individuals and families hold a combined £784bn, equal to roughly a quarter of national GDP.
The UK’s most prominent gambling families strengthened their collective wealth in the 2026 Sunday Times Rich List, published on 15 May, with the Coates family of bet365, the Done brothers of Betfred, and PokerStars co-founder Mark Scheinberg all featuring among Britain’s 350 richest individuals despite fortunes moving in different directions.
Coates hold gambling top spot
The Coates family, comprising co-chief executives Denise and John Coates alongside chairman Peter Coates, retained their position as the highest-placed gambling names on the list for another year.
Their estimated net worth rose £283m to £9.73bn, though they slipped one place to 17th. The drop reflects broader wealth growth across the rankings rather than any deterioration in their own financial position.
The 38th edition showed the UK’s 350 most affluent individuals and families hold combined wealth of £784bn, up 1.4% on 2025 and equivalent to roughly a quarter of national GDP. The list was topped by Hinduja Group owners Sanjay and Dheeraj Hinduja and family, with an estimated fortune of £38bn.
bet365 remains privately owned by the Coates family and is one of the world’s largest privately held gambling businesses, employing over 5,500 staff in Stoke-on-Trent. Denise Coates received at least £280m in salaries and dividends for the financial year ended March 2025, making her the highest-paid woman in Britain.
The operator has had a busy few months internationally: it secured a French sports betting licence from the Autorité Nationale des Jeux in April, positioning it ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup; it launched sportsbook and casino operations in Michigan on 17 April, its 17th US sports betting state; it ended credit card deposits across all US markets in April; and in March it departed the American Gaming Association, citing the trade body’s focus on the retail casino sector.
Will Roseff, managing director of independent bookmaker Backhouse Bet and an early bet365 investor holding a 6.7% stake, also featured on the list. His net worth rose £12m to £591m, placing him 239th.
Done brothers surge up list
The strongest performance among gambling names came from Warrington-based Betfred. Fred and Peter Done recorded an estimated 2026 wealth of £3.61bn, an increase of nearly £700m on 2025, lifting the brothers 11 places to 46th.
The result follows their appearance at the top of the Sunday Times Tax List earlier in 2026, where the pair were named the UK’s biggest taxpayers with a contribution of £400.1m for 2024-25, nearly 50% more than the previous year.
Mark Scheinberg, the Israeli-Canadian co-founder of PokerStars, now owned by Flutter Entertainment, climbed one place to 37th. His estimated fortune dipped slightly to £4.89bn.
Sale speculation persists
The Rich List arrives as bet365 navigates a significant strategic transition. The operator posted revenue of £4.04bn in the financial year to March 2025, up 9% year-on-year. Profit before tax came in at £348.7m, down from £626.6m the previous year, as the business pivoted towards regulated markets and exited grey market territories including China.
Reports circulating since early 2026 have suggested the Coates family is exploring a potential partial or full sale of bet365, with the business mooted to be valued at around £9bn. No transaction has been confirmed.
With UK remote gaming duty rising to 40% from April 2026, the wealth trajectory of the sector’s leading families will be closely watched by investors and analysts assessing the long-term valuation of privately held operators.
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