How Denise Coates of Bet365 won her own jackpot

Denise Coates, billionaire boss of Bet365, has added an additional £ 265 million to her wealth this week, after the company her family founded has racked up another year of exceptional profits. She has been described as Britain's most successful woman with a fortune that, according to Forbes magazine, is close to £ 4 billion.

Most striking, it is that she did it largely herself.

Bet365 is the largest private sector employer in Stoke-on-Trent. It offers its 35 million customers around the world sports betting, poker, casinos, games and bingo. Company revenues increased by 25% at the end of March and operating income increased by 31%.

Ms. Coates' brother, John, is the assistant general manager and his father, Peter, is the president of the company, but Denise Coates owns half of the company and there is no doubt that success is largely hers.

• LISTEN: Profile: Denise Coates
• Bet365 boss sees the salary increase at £ 265m

Serious players tend to have a "system", a supposedly foolproof method that will continue to yield rewards. So, what is his "system"?

Back in the 1990s and few people would have bet on the small family chain of local betting shops, which reaches such a size.

This is largely due to his mathematical talent, remarkable from an early age. David Owen taught him in high school in the 1980s.

"She fully understood, she asked only relevant questions and behaved with angelism, she was clearly out of the way.If we were talking about Mensa she would be in the top 1 %, "he told the BBC.

"More ladies"

She earned a first class econometrics degree and trained as an accountant in the family business, strengthening the knowledge of the small chain she acquired while working part-time during her career. secondary studies.

In addition to a very attentive eye for the numbers – the heart of any successful bookmaker – she is also a modernizer.

One of her colleagues, Debbie Tatton, told the BBC: "When Denise came, she wanted a closer relationship between staff and customers, we became much more professional, much more customer-centric. began to arrive., as well as many more ladies. "

In 2000, Coates increased the stakes and persuaded the family to mortgage the company to allow it to develop new software.

Her brother says that she became obsessed with the potential of online gambling and that she became a pioneer in this area.

By setting up her seat in a temporary building located on a parking lot, Ms. Coates called the ultimate bet of investing $ 2,500 (£ 1,950) in the Bet365.com domain name in order to be able to run the business. in that direction.

& # 39; Inborn Knowledge & # 39;

"She is very smart and very determined," says Warwick Bartlett of GBGC, an international gaming and betting consultant.

"She is also able to see the big picture." Betfair was the innovator in the bets at stake, but she was essentially the first to exploit mobile technology, recognizing that players around the world could bet on sport events."

Today, 70% of revenues come from wagers on tablets and phones.

According to Bartlett, she is helped by the fact that she knows the industry very well. "Coates family members are third-generation bookmakers who have learned the trade from parents and grandparents.

"She has an innate knowledge of what the player is looking for.A lot of companies these days have managers who might come from [other sectors]. They are professional executives who try to apply their knowledge acquired when selling beans or margarines. "

& # 39; Bet in play – NOW! & # 39;

Mr. Bartlett said that the in-depth knowledge of another company had contributed to the income of football in play: Bet365 owns the local club Stoke City.

"The possession of a football club has allowed them to better understand how the Premier League works, and Stoke City, which has not been so successful, has played against teams that really are." did he declare.

"In addition to contacts with professionals, they benefit from coverage through team sponsorship." Bet365 enjoys excellent visibility whenever Stoke is featured. "

Mrs. Coates' father is the president of Stoke and has a higher public profile than her.

But the name best associated with Bet365 is, of course, Ray Winstone, whose gritty tones incite gamblers to "bet on the game – NOW!".

Warwick Bartlett again stated that Ms. Coates understood correctly. "The use of Ray confirms my point on 365, they know their customers.It is a man of a certain age and a little perverted.

"Cleverly, Bet365 uses similar types to attract its customers to other markets.In Australia, it's Samuel L. Jackson – it appears in advertising as a very cool guy."

Bet365 continues to keep one length ahead. It moves to the United States as the market opens.

But if Denise Coates' business brain has a global vision, she herself will probably remain anchored in Stoke.