A multitude of high-profile figures from the gambling industry have once again made The Times’ annual Sunday Times Rich List.
The 2026 edition, topped this year by Hinduja Group owners Sanjay and Dheeraj Hinduja and family with an estimated worth of £38bn, displayed that the UK’s 350 richest individuals and families have a combined net worth of £784bn, which equates to a quarter of the UK GDP and is a 1.4% rise from 2025.
A familiar name tops betting’s Rich List…
The highest-ranked name from the gambling sector was once again that of the Coates.
A name synonymous with Stoke-on-Trent’s bet365, the Coates family – consisting of company Co-Founder Peter and his two children and joint-Chief Executives Denise and John, dropped one place this year to 17th, with a net worth of £9.73bn.
Despite the family, which also has intimate ties with Stoke City FC, falling a place in the rankings, they increased their value by £283m over the year.
The bet365 business is reported to be the largest private-sector employer in Stoke-on-Trent, having a workforce of over 5,500 in the town, and has recently embarked on entering new markets such as France and Michigan.
Following the Coates’ in the gambling industry on the Sunday Times Rich List was Mark Scheinberg – the Israeli-Canadian entrepreneur who co-founded PokerStars, now owned by Flutter Entertainment.
Scheinberg ranked at 37th on the list, up one place from 2025, but his wealth dropped by £192m, leaving him with a fortune to the tune of £4.89bn.
Done it again – Betfred brothers on Sunday Times Rich List
Not too far below Scheinberg were Fred and Peter Done – the billionaire brother duo who own Betfred.
Betfred’s story is similar to that of the Coates, in that it is a privately-owned family gambling business which has kept its UK roots at its core – it is still headquartered in Warrington, not too far from the brothers’ home of Salford.
Interestingly, the Done brothers managed to grow their fortune by almost £700m in the past 12 months, rising 11 places up the Sunday Times Rich List to 46th with estimated wealth of £3.61bn.
Dairy farmer Lord Grantchester, the grandson of the late Sir John Moores, dropped eight places down the Sunday Times Rich List to 139th, with his fortune staying at £1.2bn.
Lord Grantchester, now 75 and a former Director of Everton FC, is part of the family which founded Littlewoods and its football pools business.
The pools business, which has significantly deteriorated in the 21st century alongside Littlewoods’ retail empire, is still in operation under the alias ‘The Pools’.
Business moguls Lord Peter and Lady Fiona Cruddas, the couple behind CMC Markets, shot up 42 places this year to 142nd, increasing their net worth by £290m to reach £1.16bn.
The platform allows for spread betting and has been linked with front-of-shirt sponsorship deals with both Everton FC and Fulham FC ahead of the incoming voluntary front-of-shirt ban for gambling businesses.
Barry and Eddie Hearn, names synonymous with boxing, darts and snooker, re-entered the Sunday Times Rich List in 154th with a £1.04bn fortune.
Their company Matchroom has attracted a lot of marketing and commercial attention from betting firms, but the company has warned that any changes to legislation could impact revenues and it is therefore trying to diversify away from the sector.
Notable current Matchroom deals with gambling companies including Paddy Power’s sponsorship of the PDC World Championship and Midnite’s ties to the World Snooker Tour.
Horse racing links in the Sunday Times Rich List 2026
BetVictor owner Michael Tabor and his family rose eight places to 191st, despite neither increasing nor decreasing wealth.
The businessman and his family have a net worth of £800m and Tabor, now 84 years old, has strong links to horse racing, being one of only four racehorse owners to have won both the Epsom Derby and the Kentucky Derby.
Other notable names from the world of horse racing to make The Sunday Times Rich List 2026 were:
- Georg and Emily von Opel: (74th – worth £2.08bn) heirs to car manufacturer Opel AG; former is behind the thoroughbred racing and breeding operation Westerberg
- Patricia Thompson and family: (175th – worth £902m) family behind food manufacturing company Hillsdown Holdings; owner of UK racing’s famous Cheveley Park Stud
- Tony Bloom: (199th – worth £779m) owner and breeder; Brighton and Hove Albion Chairman; Premierbet Founder
- Robert and William Barnett and family: (218th – worth £715m) owners of Belfast-based W&R Barnett; former top-level racehorse owners and breeders
- Andy Bell (249th – worth £553m): Co-Founder of Manchester-headquartered online investment platform AJ Bell; racehorse owner
Elsewhere on the list, Ruth Parasol and family rose five places to 198th, with a net worth of £780m.
Parasol founded PartyGaming in 1997, which floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2005 for a then-record valuation of $8.46bn.
The business later merged with bwin in 2011 to form bwin.party Digital Entertainment, which was subsequently acquired by GVC Holdings in 2016.
As of 2026, the brand is owned by FTSE 100 firm Entain plc, which also operates the Ladbrokes and Coral brands.
Will Rosseff, a bet365 director, is the last name from the contingent of figures associated with the gambling industry on the Sunday Times Rich List for this year, with his net worth rising £12m to £591m, ranking 239th on the list.
