Fred Done | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation(s) | Founder & Chairman, Betfred |
| Years active | 1967–current |
| Organization | Betfred |
| Relatives | Peter Done |
Fred Done (born March 1943) is a British billionaire businessman and the owner of the bookmaking chain Betfred, which has more than 1,600 betting shops in the UK. [1] [2]
Done grew up with three siblings in Ordsall, Greater Manchester. [3] Done and his brother Peter Done left school aged 15 without qualifications after working in their father’s illegal bookmaking business. [3]
In 1967 aged 24, Done opened his first bookmaker with his brother, which they funded by a win on England's victory in 1966 FIFA World Cup the year before. [3] [4]
By the mid-1980s, they had more than 70 bookmaking shops. [5] In 1983, Done founded Peninsula Business Services, which has more than 10 companies operating in employment law, workplace health, and human resources. [3] [6]
In 1998, Done paid out early Manchester United to win the Premier League title, making him the first bookmaker to pay out early at the end of the season. [7]
In 2004, Done's chain of bookmakers was renamed Betfred. [7]
In 2015, Done announced he was in talks to sell a 25% stake in The Tote after buying it from the UK government for £265 million in 2011. [8]
In 2018, Done made an investment in Adzooma, an online advertising platform based in Nottingham, UK. [9]
In 2020, Done invested in GGRecon, an esports publisher based in Manchester, UK. [10] [11]
In 2021, Done stepped down as the chief executive of Betfred and took up the role of chairman. [12]
In 2023, the Sunday Times Rich List estimated Done's net worth to be £1.87 billion. [13]
According to the Sunday Times Rich List in May 2025, his and his family's net worth is £2.915 billion. [14]
In 2014, Done, along with Simon Ismail, established Salboy, a Manchester-based property development company. Since its founding, Salboy has developed a number of notable schemes, including Viadux, which will eventually contain the tallest building in Manchester at 245 meters [15] . The company is also developing the St Michaels project alongside Gary Neville and his company Relentless, which is due to complete in 2027 [16] .
The construction wing of Salboy, Domis Construction Ltd is partially owned by Done's brother, Peter, and has worked on every Salboy project to date.