History of bet365

Full History and Beginning of bet365

bet365 was founded in 2000 by Peter and Denise Coates CBE in Stoke-on-Trent (Staffordshire, England, UK) where the Coates family was born and raised. bet365 has since become one of the largest gambling sites in the world – larger than the online divisions of both William Hill and Ladbrokes.

bet365 Ownership: The Coates Family

Denise Coates continues to run bet365 and is the major stakeholder with 50.1% of shares while her brother, John Coates, and her father, Peter, have a combined 43.1% ownership.

 

Peter Coates Bio

The youngest of 14 children, Peter Coates left school at age 14 and worked in an office until he was old enough to join the army. After leaving the army, Coates worked at a restaurant chain before founding his own catering business Stadia Catering. The chain would eventually merge with Lindley Catering and the increase in revenue was used to buy a string of betting shops in 1974 – which grew to as many as 59 shops. Peter Coates became the major stakeholder and Chairman of Stoke City FC in 1986 and still maintains that status.

John Coates Bio

John Fitzgerald Coates was born in 1970 and started his business career as a lawyer. He joined his sister, Denise Coates, in launching bet365 in 2001 and is currently co-CEO of the UK-based online gaming company. John Coates also sat as vice-chairman of Stoke City FC where his father, Peter Coates, was chairman, but in 2020, the pair became joint-chairmen.

Denise Coates Bio

Denise Coates started work in the cashiers’ department of her family’s bookmaking firm, Provincial Racing, and after finishing university, she worked as an accountant for the business. Having foreseen the future of online bookmaking, Denise Coates purchased the domain name bet365.com in 2000 and launched the bookmaking site in 2001.Denise currently owns 51% of the company and is worth an estimated $5.2 billion.

 

The Original bet365

 The original bet365 was launched in 2001 and was similar to the product they have today but on a smaller scale. Back in 2001, online bookmakers were offering racing markets on thoroughbreds and greyhounds as well as sports markets on English, Spanish, Italian and German football; and US basketball, football, baseball and hockey. bet365 took things further and started offering unique markets on other sports.

 

The History of How bet365 Grew Massively

Reinvestment was the key to bet365’s massive growth over the years. The Coates family continually invested into the online bookmaking business making it bigger and better with each passing year. This started with a £15 million loan from the Royal Bank of Scotland against the family’s betting shops. The chain of betting shops was sold for £40 million to Coral in 2005 and the loan to RBS was paid off.

 

bet365 Poker

bet365 introduced poker as early as 2004 but things really took off when they switched to the iPoker network in 2007 and launched Sprint Poker in 2012. The Sprint Poker format eliminated waiting time for players by taking those players who folded and putting them in a new group that existed within the larger group of players.

 

bet365 Adds Bingo in 2008

As well as poker, the addition of online bingo to bet365’s platform was a success. With bingo being so popular in the UK, bet365 decided to build out an online version and cleverly marketed the new product by sponsoring UK television show Emmerdale Farm.

 

bet365 Acquires Bowman Sportsbook

In 2006, bet365 acquired US sport specialist bookmaker Bowman Sportsbook. Founded by Gary Bowman in 1985, the sportsbook had built a large pool of players who focussed their betting efforts on American sports. In 2007, bet365 decided to merge Bowman Sportsbook with it’s own platform which gave bet365 an instant boost in player volume.

 

bet365 Adds Languages and Currencies

In 2004, bet365 started adding languages and currencies to their betting site. The first translations to the site were German, Chinese, Swedish, Danish, Italian and Norwegian, and over the years, dozens more languages have been added.

As of 2023, bet365 offers 25 different currencies:

List of bet365 currencies – what currencies do bet365 have?

 

Mobile Betting, Live Betting, Streams, and Vast Markets

As of 2023, bet365 has the largest live streaming sports service of any online bookmaker. Streams are available for just about every sport you can bet on, and even when live vision is not available, the site has simulated streams that keep you up to date with all the action.

Their mobile betting apps are among the best in the business but their ratings are vastly different on Google Play and Apple. There are nearly 12 thousand reviews on Google Play and the app is rated 2.4 out of 5, while on Apple, they have a much stronger 4.6 out of 5 rating. Check out our guide on how to download the bet365 app.

Live betting is offered on bet365 but rules vary for different countries.

As far as the number of betting markets available on a bookmaker site go, you simply won’t find more than on bet365.

 

Conclusion

The bet365 platform has consistently evolved and adapted to the ever-changing landscape of the betting industry. With its origins dating back to the early 2000s, bet365 has garnered a stellar reputation for providing a comprehensive and user-friendly betting experience.

For those seeking to explore this platform further, our bet365 review page offers valuable insights into its features, reliability, and overall performance. Additionally, the bet365 bonus code page provides more information on their exciting promotional offers.

Together, these resources serve as indispensable companions for those intrigued by the captivating journey of bet365 and eager to delve into its world of thrilling online betting.

 

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