Bet365, arguably the most influential private gambling company, is reportedly in talks with Wall Street banks and US advisors, considering a partial or complete sale of its assets, and going public through an Initial Public Offering (IPO) in the United States.
Partial or full sale of Bet365 to precede public listing
This is the claim made by the Guardian, a respected media outlet in the United Kingdom, which has quoted sources familiar with the matter. One of the options discussed, as per the original report, is to have a stake of the company sold to a private equity investor, with Coates, the family that controls the company, retaining a share in the firm it built from the ground up.
Once a partial sale has been completed, the business would be considered for an IPO. The price tag put on a potential deal for acquiring bet365 has been floated at £9bn. Denise Coates, the 57-year-old owner of the firm, who is arguably the best-paid gambling industry executive owing to her 58% controlling stake in the company, could yet benefit from the sale of her business at the cited price tag, fetching her £5bn in the process.
Bet365 has been able to post healthy results consistently, allowing the company to capitalize on the sports betting bonanza in the United States. Although the firm has not been able to reach a significant market penetration, it has carved out bastions and poured heavily into local operations, while maintaining sustainability in the thriving but ultimately cut-throat sports wagering market in the United States.
Bet365 presently operates in 13 states, and it is expanding further afield as a testament to its resilience to larger market events such as increasing taxes, closer regulatory scrutiny, and diminishing margins due to increased competition.
Good exit option for Denise Coates
Paul Leyland, the director of the gambling consultancy Regulus Partners, has commented on a potential sale and public listing, arguing that it would provide a good exit for Coates while offering a "proven success story" in the gambling industry to investors who are keen to spend their money reasonably in the sector.
Bet365’s journey is contrasted with that of PENN Entertainment, which has been struggling to put a dent in the sports betting market in the United States, despite the ESPN Bet brand name, which should be instantly recognizable amongst sports fans.
Bet365 has also been plagued by some controversy, including its exposure to the Chinese market, where the company maintains operations despite the fact that the activity is illegal, but this has been amended with the company confirming earlier in 2025 that it would seek to wind down its business locally.
In the meantime, bet365’s expansion in new markets has continued as per usual in Latin America.
