Denise Coates

Denise Coates CBE (born 26 September 1967) is a British billionaire businesswoman, the founder, majority shareholder and joint chief executive of online gambling company bet365.

[6] While at school, Coates started work in the cashiers' department of Provincial Racing, a bookmaking firm owned by her family.

"[14] In 2018, it was announced that her salary had increased to £265 million, around 9,500 times more than the average UK salary, with Luke Hildyard of the High Pay Centre commenting, "Obviously, people who build successful companies need to be rewarded for their hard work, but this is an obscene amount of money for someone who is already a billionaire.

[18] Charities which have received funds include Oxfam, CAFOD, the Douglas Macmillan Hospice for cancer sufferers in Stoke, and relief programmes for victims caught in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

[19][20] The Foundation pledged £230,000[21] to St Joseph's College, in Trent Vale, for the school's work to help support vulnerable young people in Bo, Sierra Leone.

In March 2020 a donation of £235,000 was made by the foundation to The New Vic Theatre in Newcastle-under-Lyme for essential refurbishment and redevelopment.

[22][23] In April 2020 Coates donated £10 million through her foundation to University Hospitals of North Midlands to support staff fighting coronavirus.

[7][10][25] Coates lives in a £90 million mansion in Cheshire, which includes an Olympic-sized swimming pool, two helicopters, and a custom-built water slide for her children.

[26] In January 2012, Coates was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to the community and business.