Fred Done

Last updated
Fred Done
NationalityBritish
Occupation(s)Founder & Chairman, Betfred
Years active1967–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]

Contents

Early life

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]

Career

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 CEO of Betfred and took up the role as Chairman. [12]

In 2023, the Sunday Times Rich List estimated Done's net worth to be £1.87 billion. [13]

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References

  1. ↑ "Billionaire Brothers Bet on William Hill Before Stock Surge". Bloomberg Online. 2 October 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  2. ↑ "Welcome to the Betfred Group". BetFred About Us. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Who are Fred and Peter Done, the brothers behind Betfred bookmakers?". the Guardian. 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  4. ↑ Duke, Simon. "Betfred founders Fred and Peter Done eye sale of 25% stake in the Tote". The Times . ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  5. ↑ "CEO Secrets: From Ordsall poverty to being a billionaire". BBC News. 2021-11-24. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  6. ↑ "Who are Peninsula?". Peninsula UK. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  7. 1 2 "Betfred Corporate – History". www.betfredcorporate.com. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  8. ↑ Duke, Simon (25 February 2018). "Betfred founder Fred eyes sale of 25% stake in the Tote". The Sunday Times. ISSN   0956-1382 . Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  9. ↑ "Adzooma partners with Google to help SMEs grow online". BusinessCloud.co.uk. 21 August 2018. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  10. ↑ "About GGRecon". GGRecon. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  11. ↑ "These Mancs play games for a living: GGRecon is Manchester's best Esports publisher". The Manc. 30 June 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  12. ↑ "Fred Done Appoints Joanne Whittaker as Betfred CEO". GamblingNews. 2021-03-11. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  13. ↑ Tyler, Richard (2023-07-24). "Peter Done: I lost Betfred to my brother on a coin toss, but I'm still a winner". The Times . ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 2023-07-24.
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