Bet365 considering sale of billion-dollar company? Behind the rumors

Glen

• 9 May 2025 • Reading time: 3 minutes

Online gambling giant Bet365 is said to be internally considering selling the company. According to a report from The Guardian, it is a possible deal worth £9bn. That amount would represent a huge profit for the Coates family, which owns Bet365.

Talks are still at an early stage. Several options are being discussed: a full sale, a partial sale or even an IPO in the United States. Reliable sources report that the Coates family has already held talks with US advisers and major Wall Street banks.

Coates family would like to remain partly involved in the company

One possibility is for Bet365 to be partially sold to a private equity firm. This would allow the family to retain some control but still bring in a hefty sum of money. Another route is a stock market listing in the US, where the company would go public.

Bet365 has not yet given a response to these reports. It is likely that they are merely exploratory talks, with no concrete follow-up. Still, recent moves by Bet365 point to a larger strategy.

Exit from China appears to be deliberate move ahead of possible deal

In March, Bet365 withdrew completely from the Chinese market. Legislation in China is strict. Gambling is only allowed in Macau and Hong Kong. Officially, Bet365 has always denied breaking the law.

Yet the company might’ve already seen the storm. According to Ed Birkin of H2 Gambling Capital, this is no coincidence.

‘When they announced they were leaving China, it looked like they were clearing out their house for something bigger,’ he said.

Other signs, such as a focus on regulated markets like the US and Brazil, also seem to point in this direction.

Analysts doubt feasibility of IPO

An industry merger and acquisition specialist told iGB that the possibility of an IPO (initial public offering) pops up from time to time, but never really becomes concrete.

‘The Coates family has never felt the need for public scrutiny,’ the source informed.

An IPO would mean Bet365 would have to make all its figures public. That is a huge step for a company that has always operated in seclusion. The expert also mentioned DraftKings as a possible buyer, although that would require many circumstances to be right at once.

According to the same source, the estimated value of £9 billion may even be on the low side. By comparison, DraftKings is currently worth around $16.6 billion.

Bet365 earns profits again after difficult period

According to data from the British Chamber of Commerce, Bet365 made a turnover of £3.72 billion between April 2023 and March 2024. That is 9 per cent more than the previous year. The company also returned to profit, after a £12.4 million loss in the previous financial year.

Profit before tax in the gambling division was £626.6 million. Still, there are concerns about the company’s future. Analysts at Regulus Partners warn that growth in live betting – years of Bet365’s success – appears to be stalling.