Bet365 Dips But Betfred Brothers On The Charge In Rich List

The gambling sector is continuing to make waves on the wealth front, according to the Sunday Times Rich List. Betfred and bet365, for example, remain the biggest players on the UK scene, and the families behind these operators are making plenty of gains, as illustrated by the 2026 results.

First published in 1989, the Sunday Times Rich List, a permanent fixture of the newspaper, has consistently tracked the 350 most affluent individuals and families. While the Rich List isn’t restricted to British citizens, it includes families born overseas but who predominantly work and/or live in Britain.

Betfred brothers on the rise

One of the biggest climbers in the Rich List was the Betfred brothers, Fred and Peter Done, who are now worth £3.612 billion. Last year, the Done brothers were ranked 57th, but they have now soared to 46th, after growing their fortune by nearly £700 million over the past 12 months.

Having topped the Sunday Times Tax List after stumping up more than £400 million in 2025 to the public coffers, surpassing the likes of Anthony Joshua and Harry Styles, the Done brothers have come into sharp focus. Indeed, earlier this month, it transpired that Fred decided to move his property empire overseas due to the shake-up in UK inheritance tax rules.

The Done brothers, who founded Betfred in 1967, nevertheless represent an enduring success story. Given they have previously sounded their worries over the change in UK gambling tax rates, which will see general betting duty paid on online sports bets rise from 15% to 25% in April 2027, Betfred has managed to flourish in a challenging climate.

Coates family suffers slight dip

The Coates family, synonymous with bet365, have presided over one of the UK’s most prominent betting sites. Headed by joint Chief Executives Denise and John, they dropped a spot to 17th in the 2026 rankings.

However, it wasn’t all doom and gloom. The family, which has long-standing ties with Championship side Stoke City FC, saw their value shoot up by £283m over the past year, taking their fortune to £9.73bn.

This, of course, is an exciting time for bet365, as they are entering new markets, such as Michigan and France. The latter, for example, represents a concerted strategy to extend its footprint in other countries across Europe with the World Cup coming up.

Horse racing steals a march

Away from bet365 and Betfred, horse racing appears to be holding its own. David and Simon Reuben, the owners of Arena Racing Company (ARC), have maintained their status as the wealthiest within the sport. Indeed, they finished second on the list, accruing £1.1bn over the past 12 months, taking their total wealth to just shy of £28bn.

Other notable names from the world of horse racing to feature on the Rich List, include 84-year-old Michael Tabor (£800m), who is only one of four racehorse owners to have won both the Epsom Derby and the Kentucky Derby. Meanwhile, Georg von Opel (74th), who is the heir to car manufacturer Opel AG, is worth £2.08bn, and his horses run under the thoroughbred Westerberg banner.

More intriguingly, horse racing has recently become entrenched in the debate over the subject of the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) and their proposed affordability checks proposal. While it isn’t a done deal, those in the industry are clamouring for a pause on the potential rollout to protect bettors.