Financial Times 2025 'tax list': Two bookmakers revealed to be among top three taxpayers in Britain

Imago Fred Done (owner of Betfred) is pictured holding The Betfred Oaks trophy at Epsom Racecourse in 2024

Families behind two of the biggest bookmakers in the United Kingdom, bet365 and Betfred, are among the top three taxpayers in Britain as has been revealed by the Financial Times’ ‘top tax payers of 2025’ list.

The ‘tax list’ includes income tax, capital gains tax, corporation tax and dividend tax, alongside some payroll taxes, as well as gambling and alcohol duties - according to the most recently filed company accounts. 

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These are calculated in proportion with the ownership of the company revealing the top 100 taxpayers in the UK - including wealthy individuals and families from a variety of industries and businesses.

The Coates family, who own Stoke City FC as well as bet365, are the top taxpayers in the Midlands. The Potters’ owners sit third on the Financial Times’ tax list.

Founded in a Stoke-on-Trent car park, back in 2000, bet365 offers sports betting, online casino, online poker and online bingo. The bookmaker and football club owners are said to have paid a staggering £265m in tax over the last 12 months.

One of two taxpayers above them are brothers Fred and Peter Done, and family, the founders of bet365’s rival Betfred. The two brothers worked for their father’s illegal bookmaking business after leaving school at 15 with no qualifications.

Having first set up as a single betting shop in Salford back in 1967, Fred Done financed the first site from a winning bet he placed on England to lift the 1966 World Cup. Now, with over 1,600 bookies nationwide, the family recently forked out £273.4m to the tax man.

Sir Chris Hohn is amongst the most successful and wealthy alumnus of Harvard Business School, and established The Children’s Investment Fund Management which is a prominent value-based hedge fund.

The 58-year-old billionaire hedge fund manager, who is considered an activist investor, is Britain’s top taxpayer this year, having paid out a whopping £339.5m in tax. 

Sportswear giants, retail notables, financial traders and data harvesters are also amongst the top 10 British taxpayers.

Stephen Rubin and family, Chair of Pentland Group, the majority shareholder of JD Sports and the owner of Speedo, Berghaus and Canterbury paid the fourth-most tax with a suspected £208.9m. 

Mark and Lindy O’Hare, who sold their data firm Preqin for £2.55bn, paid the fifth most, having contributed £204m.

Alex Gerko, Mike Ashley and Sir Tim Martin – XTK Markets, Sports Direct (along with Newcastle United previously) and JD Wetherspoon magnates respectively – paid the sixth, seventh and eighth-most (£202.2m, £198.2m and £170m) tax in Britain.

Primark’s the Weston family and Tom Morris and family – owners of discount chain Home Bargains – rounded off the top 10 UK taxpayers with just over and under £150m over the past 12 months. 

New entries in the top 100 include energy industrialist Dale Vince, who is the majority shareholder of Forest Green FC. Pillow World’s founders, Stockport County FC’s owner Mark Stott, rock legends Queen and CV-Library founder Lee Biggins all gatecrashed the top 100 highest tax payers of 2025.