About Bet365: Who Owns It, How It Grew and Who We Are 2026

It is one of the world’s largest online gambling companies. Its core product is a sportsbook covering more than 30 sports, with in-play betting, live streaming, Bet Builder and Cash Out. Alongside sports, it runs an online casino, live casino and games in the markets where these products are permitted.

The brand works only in countries where it holds a licence or where it chooses to accept customers, so the product, promotions and payment methods differ from country to country. For the full product overview, read our bet365 review.

Denise Coates founded the company in 2000 in her home city of Stoke-on-Trent, and the website went live in March 2001. From the start the business built its own technology, and in-play betting and live streaming became the products it is best known for. Growth then came from new licensed markets: the UK and Malta licences cover much of the business, and local licences followed in regulated markets such as US states, Ontario, Brazil and France.

• 2000: company founded by Denise Coates in Stoke-on-Trent;
• 2001: online sportsbook launched in March;
• Following years: international growth under UK Gambling Commission and Malta Gaming Authority licences, then local licences in US states such as New Jersey and Colorado and in Ontario;
• 2023: stopped accepting customers from India;
• 2025: Brazil licence approved; exit from China and some other markets;
• 2026: launch in France under an ANJ licence in May.

The bet365 owner is the Coates family. Unlike most large betting groups, the company is not listed on a stock exchange and has no outside shareholders who control it. Denise Coates founded the business and runs it as joint chief executive with her brother John Coates, while Peter Coates is chairman. The family’s roots in Stoke-on-Trent are also why the local football club, Stoke City, plays at a ground named after the brand.

The licensed businesses are run through the Hillside group of companies, such as Hillside (UK Sports) ENC and Hillside (UK Gaming) ENC. These are the names you will see on regulator registers and in the bookmaker’s terms and conditions.

Bet365 revenue was about £4 billion for financial year 2024, which places the company among the largest online gambling operators in the world. The group employs more than 10,000 people, and the head office remains in Stoke-on-Trent.

Because the company is family-owned, figures come from its annual accounts filed in the UK rather than from stock market reports. Revenue and profit change from year to year with sports results, new market launches and market exits.

The brand’s most visible sponsorship is close to home: Stoke City play their home games at the bet365 Stadium. In other countries its sports and media partnerships depend on local advertising rules, so what you see varies by market. Gambling advertising is tightly regulated in most licensed markets, including limits on who can be targeted and mandatory safer gambling messages.

Sports betting is the heart of the business. The sportsbook lists more than 30 sports, and the exact markets on offer depend on the country you play from:

• Cricket: IPL, ICC events, Big Bash, The Hundred and county cricket;
• Football, tennis and horse racing, the biggest markets in the UK;
• Basketball, F1, MMA and UFC, darts and ice hockey;
• Esports such as CS2, Dota 2, League of Legends and Valorant.

Features include in-play betting, live streaming (with a funded account or a bet in the last 24 hours), Bet Builder, Cash Out and Early Payout on selected markets. Our guides to cricket, football and tennis go into more detail.

Where local law allows it, the operator also runs an online casino. The games vary by market, but the main sections are:

• Slots and jackpot games, including well-known titles such as Starburst and Big Bass Bonanza;
• Table games such as blackjack, roulette and baccarat;
• Live casino with real dealers and game shows such as Crazy Time and Monopoly Live;
• Andar Bahar and Teen Patti in Asian-facing lobbies.

None of these games are available to players in India through the bookmaker.

The bookmaker is licensed by the UK Gambling Commission for British customers and by the Malta Gaming Authority for much of its international business. It also holds local licences in regulated markets, including several US states such as New Jersey and Colorado, Ontario in Canada (AGCO), Brazil (approved in 2025) and France (ANJ, launched in May 2026). Full details are on our bet365 licence page.

The bookmaker stopped accepting customers from India in 2023, after the 28% GST on online betting deposits came into force, and it has not returned. There is no bet365 India app, no INR account, no UPI, Paytm or PhonePe payments and no bonus code for India.

India has since passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, which targets online money games and their promotion; its commencement and court challenges are still pending. If you want to bet online from India, see our comparison of bet365 alternatives in India.

This site is an independent review of bet365 written for readers in India. We are not the bookmaker, we are not part of the Hillside group, and we do not take bets, deposits or documents.

• We base our reviews on public company information, regulator registers and the bookmaker’s own published terms;
• We say clearly when a feature or offer varies by country;
• We do not publish rupee bonuses, fake phone numbers or unofficial APK files;
• We may earn a commission from some partner links, which never changes our verdicts (see our affiliate disclosure).

Spotted a mistake or have feedback? Email us at [email protected] or use our contact page. Please read our responsible gaming advice before you bet anywhere.