Bet365 boss Denise Coates is set to pocket more than £260m in remuneration for the past financial year despite the family-owned gambling giant reporting a big slump in profits.
Coates, Britain's highest-paid woman and Bet365 founder, who is the majority shareholder and joint-CEO alongside brother John Coates, was paid a £104m salary for the financial year to 30 March, along with a big chunk of the firm's £314m dividend payout.
Her total payout was up 65% from the previous financial year, though still significantly lower than the record £421m she earned for FY20.
Nevertheless, Coates has now taken home more than £2.7bn over the past 15 years.
The bumper payday came despite the Stoke-based firm reporting an operating profit of £228m for FY25, down from £396.6m the year before, on the back of surging administrative costs, staff spend and higher expenses.
Pre-tax profit dropped to £349m from £627m, however revenues rose to £4.03bn from £3.69bn, helped by last year's UEFA Euro 2024 tournament and an expansion into newly regulated markets.
"The changing worldwide gambling and leisure industries are likely to present opportunities for enhancing the Group's presence worldwide," Bet365 said.
"The group will continue to invest in IT infrastructure and technology around the world to ensure it has both the flexibility and scalability to evolve with internal and external developments."