Fresh off reporting another boffo profit year, Stoke-based betting outfit Bet365 has added another feather to its already impressive 2011 cap. Denise Coates, who founded and owns more than half the shares in the privately held company, has been named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queen’s New Year Honors list for her services to the community and business. Upon being informed of her recognition, the UK’s most successful self-made woman said: “It’s an incredible honor to receive this award. It would not have been possible without the fantastic support and commitment of everybody at Bet365.”
Bet365 began life in 2000 in a trailer in a Stoke parking lot, and has since grown to become the UK’s biggest online betting outfit, not to mention a truly global concern. The company offers wagers in 17 different languages to a reported 6m customers and employs somewhere between 1,400-1,700 people, most of them Stoke residents, making it the region’s biggest private sector employer. The company also provides the financial backing for Stoke City FC, the oldest club in the Premier League.
Denise’s father Peter, whose former land-based betting shop chain provided much of the capital necessary to launch the online operation, said the family was “all delighted and all proud of her. She has done an absolutely amazing job for Bet365, building it up from scratch. And obviously the money the football club gets comes through the success of Bet365, so she has played a key role in the success of the football club.” Stoke City manager Tony Pulis echoed the proud papa’s praise: “Everyone associated with Stoke City is indebted to Denise and delighted at this fully deserved honor.” And so says all of us…
