From its humble beginnings in a portable office space in Stoke-on-Trent in the UK to a global company with over 53 million users, 5,000 employees and 4 billion dollars in annual revenue, Bet365’s growth in its short 20-year life span is impressive, to say the least. We take a look at Bet365 and how the small British bookie became the biggest name in world sports betting.
Bet365 was founded by Denise Coates in 2000. Before founding Bet365, Coates worked for the family business which owned and ran betting shops throughout the UK.
Bet365 began with Coates and a small team of 12 traders. They had a few betting shops in the local area but their main focus was on the burgeoning online gambling market after launching the first Bet365 site in 2001.
Bet365 saw quick success with their online business and they sold their betting shops in 2005 to pay off loans deciding to go all-in in the online betting market – a move that later turned out to be the right one.
Following the sale of their physical betting agencies, Bet365 worked to make their product and brand as strong as possible, launching an online casino in 2004, a live streaming service in 2006, a mobile website in 2010 and an app in 2012.
By 2012 Bet365 had become the largest private employer in Stoke-on-Trent with 1,900 staff but they also had offices in Curaçao, Gibraltar and Australia – with more to come in the years that followed.
Today, Bet365 offers their sports betting, bingo, poker and casino products in around 200 countries and they have won numerous iGaming awards including Operator of the Year at the 2017 EGR awards and numerous Best Bookmaker awards at the SBC Awards – including taking out the most recent title in 2019.
But what’s the key to Bet365’s success and how did they become the world’s biggest, and best, bookmaker?
One thing that any regular punter would know is that Bet365 is a no-nonsense bookie. In other words, they do sports betting and they do it well.
Unlike other sports betting companies, the Bet365 website is clean and easy to use.
Bet365 doesn’t focus on fancy graphics or crazy promotions, they offer the best odds and the widest range of betting markets to millions of punters around the world.
When they do decide to offer an additional service, like live streaming, cash out, or a mobile app, they make sure it is the best service on the market.
This focus on simplicity and quality helped them to grow in their home country, the UK, but it is also what made them so successful abroad.
In countries like New Zealand, where sports betting is dominated by a local government-owned operator, Bet365 captures the majority of the offshore betting site market by giving punters more markets and services than they can get at home.
Bet365 New Zealand has lower odds, better live streaming services and more generous bonuses than the more well-established Kiwi operator, TAB NZ.
The other thing that Bet365 has done, perhaps better than any other sports betting agency, is to develop the name of their brand around the world.
Bet365 has had long term partnerships with sporting clubs and organisations like Stoke City (UK), Ludogorets (Bulgaria), Villareal and Athletic Bilbao (Spain) and even Cricket Australia.
Bet365’s brand recognition has helped it win global trust and support. First-time bettors and regular punters alike trust the Bet365 name and what it stands for. That means when they want to place a bet, they know where to turn.
As many US States begin to legalize sports betting, sportsbooks are fighting to gain traction and market share. Bet365 is already licensed in New Jersey, New York, and Colorado with more states expected to follow soon.
Bet365 has not yet become America’s favourite betting site but if history has taught us anything – it’s a safe bet that they will.