Betfred is one of the world’s leading privately owned global betting businesses and is part of a larger group of companies, operating through Licensed Betting Offices (LBOs) and internet operation in the UK, Gibraltar, South Africa and the United States of America. The offer a portfolio of online, mobile betting and gaming through their website Betfred.com.

Betfred Group Limited is the investment holdings company for the business operations and holds shares in 34 other trading companies based in either the UK, Spain, Gibraltar and the USA as per their latest published accounts for the year ended 25 September 2022 held with UK Companies House.
In addition the their main activity of retail and online betting the Done family and Fred Done also run a number of companies in the buying, letting, development and operating of real estate linked to their large retail presence on the high street.
Who is the founder of Betfred?
Founded by brother Fred and Peter Done, Done Bookmakers was originally a single shop in Ordsall, Salford opened in 1967. The first shop was financed with capital made from a winning bet placed on England to win the 1966 World Cup the previous year.
What companies does Fred Done own?
Fred Done (born March 1943) is a British billionaire and current Chairman of Betfred. Listed on Companies House are over 70 appointments (positions held within a company, usually as either a Director or Company Secretary). A selection of the companies for which Fred Done is listed as an active Director include:
- Sharp Gaming Limited – Used to develop their betting and gaming technology
- Sports Tours International Limited – Tour operator in the active holiday sector
- Salboy Limited – Property development business
- Tote Bookmakers Limited – Retail bookmaking under the trading name Betfred
- Sports Information Services (Holdings) Limited – Provision of digital sportsbook products and services to the global online betting and gaming industry.
- Done Brothers (Cash Betting) Limited – Retail bookmaking under the trading name Betfred
Is Betfred part of Ladbrokes?
No, Betfred as explained above is one of the world’s leading privately owned betting companies, whereas Ladbrokes is part of the Entain plc group which also includes the likes of Coral, Bwin and Sportingbet.
Who are the shareholders of Betfred?
The company is part of a larger group of companies. The ultimate parent company of Betfred owns the shares of main trading companies and in turn the majority of the shares for the parent company are held by the Done family as per the latest confirmation statement held at Companies House, published in July 2023.
How much are the owners of Betfred worth?
Based on the Sunday Times Rich List in 2023, Fred Done is estimated to be worth £1.87 billion.
Timeline and History of Betfred
- 1967 – First shop opened in Salford, Manchster
- 1980 – Fred Done invents the ‘Lucky 15’ type of bet and becomes the known widely as the ‘Bonus King’
- 1997 – Acquired the Robert Walker chain of bookmakers, taking their total shops to one hundred
- 1998 – First bookmaker to settle bets early on the Premier League winner, paying out on Manchester United (the club he supports) when they were 12 points clear in March, only for Arsenal to eventually win the league by 1 point.
- 2000 – Total number of shops reached two hundred.
- 2004 – First used the current name ‘Betfred’ also launching Beffred.com and launching online
- 2005 – The chain opened it’s 500th shop in Cardiff
- 2013 – Established Betfred TV, an in-house channel available in high street shops and on racecourse. The first of it’s kind in the UK
- 2017 – Purchases 322 shops following the merger of fellow bookmakers Ladbrokes and Coral and celebrated their 50th year in business.
What is the revenue of Betfred?
In the latest published accounts for the year ended 25 September 2022, Betfred generated £723.2m in revenue, up 37% on the prior year as the business continued to recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic which closed their stores. Profit neared £20m.
What is the annual turnover of Betfred?
The annual turnover of Betfred is stated above, with the brand generating £723.2m in turnover in the year to 25 September 2022, Betfred took wagers from it’s customers of £8.8 billion in the same year.
How many people does Betfred employ?
According to their LinkedIn profile, Betfred employs 9500 people as of September 2023. Their latest published accounts for the year ended 25 September 2022 shows that they employed an average of 7,761 employees within the Betfred Group, on a full time equivalent basis, during that financial year.
How many customers does Betfred have?
Based on the information on The Betfred Group website they have over 800,000 active customers