Bet365 Financials

Since shedding the brick-and-mortar aspect of the business and focusing exclusively on online gambling services, Bet365 has evolved into one of the world’s largest online gambling companies. Bet365 reported an operating profit of £116.5 million in 2012, £179m in 2013 and £320.9m in 2014, which is a very impressive 81.5 percent increase of revenue over the previous year.

Bet365 remains a private company. Denise Coates is the primary shareholder at 51 percent of shares, and as a private company, financial statements are not public record. Nevertheless, much is known about Bet365 based on their own reports, taxes paid to the United Kingdom and their public dealings with various other companies and financial institutions.

Current net worth of the company is £449.62m, which is up 24.11 percent over last year. Bet365 has £805.68m in assets, £539.03m in the bank and £347.03m in liabilities. Bet365 has 3,138 employees, which is up more than 20 percent in a year, and total turnover in 2014 was £1.37 billion, which was up 37.99 percent over 2013.

Dispelling Internet Rumours

To begin, we simply have to ignore the common complaints (among all online brands) that casino games or poker hands are rigged in some way with the random number generator. We hear the exact same accusations for all the top online gaming brands, and we immediately disregard these. The random number generator software is routinely audited for fairness by a 3rd party.

A real controversy had to do with Peter Coates, Director of Bet365 and father of Denise Coates. Peter has donated hundreds of thousands of British Pounds to the British Labour Party. One of those large donations happened to coincide with the gambling laws becoming more relaxed in the UK – which among other things allowed for television commercial advertising of gaming brands (like Bet365).

We do not view this as a slight on the Bet365 brand – this is just simple politics.

Perhaps the most prevalent rumour about Bet365 is that it will treat a customer well until it comes time for them to make a substantial withdrawal, at which point the company will make it very difficult to do so.

Consider, however, that total payouts made by Bet365 in 2014 exceeded £1 billion, and any major payout issue, such as the Conor Murphy ordeal in 2012, become high-profile news.

Bet365 simply makes too much money to nickel and dime its customers, and if they were to try to withhold a major payout, the media would be all over it. The only thing you have to watch for is the maximum liability on a bet, which is usually £1m, and then bet accordingly.

Final Thoughts Concerning the Bet365 Brand

Bet365 is a reputable company that has kept its business in the United Kingdom and Australia despite it likely being a lot cheaper to operate offshore in a location such as Isle of Man where you can escape paying much of your taxes (like PokerStars).

Bet365 has a proven track record of paying out to its customers. It offers consumer-friendly betting options and promotions, and really excels in customer service in our experience.

One recommendation that all Bet365 clients should act on is fully validating their account before any deposits are made and bets are placed. When issues do occur, a lack of validation is usually the culprit.