ByRebecca Marston
Business reporter, BBC News

Denise Coates, the yohaig code billionaire boss of Bet365, included another ₤ 323m to her wealth this promotion code week after the company her household founded acquired another year of huge revenues.

She's been called the UK's most successful woman, with a fortune that Forbes magazine puts in the area of ₤ 9.3 bn.

Most noticeably, she has made that largely herself.

Bet365 is Stoke-on-Trent's biggest private sector employer, with more than 4,600 personnel. It provides its millions of around the world consumers sports betting, poker, casino, games and bingo. The firm had a ₤ 3bn turnover in the year to the end of March and an earnings before tax of ₤ 791m.

Ms Coates' sibling John is joint chief executive and her dad Peter is the firm's chairman, but Denise Coates owns half the company and there's no doubt the success is largely hers.

LISTEN: Profile: Denise Coates

Bet365 manager sees pay rise to ₤ 265m

Serious gamblers tend to have a "system", a supposedly sure-fire technique that will keep bringing benefits. So what's her "system"?

Return to the 1990s and there aren't lots of who would have bet on the little family-run chain of local wagering shops growing to such a size.

A lot is down to her mathematical skill, which was remarkable from an early age. David Owen taught her at secondary school in the 1980s.

"She got everything right, only asked essential concerns and was angelically acted. She was plainly off the scale. If we were talking Mensa, she 'd remain in the leading 1%," he told the BBC.

'More girls'

She accomplished a first-class degree in econometrics and trained as an accounting professional within the family firm, developing even more on the knowledge of the small chain that she got while working part-time during high school.

As well as a really keen eye for figures - the heart of any successful bookie - she is likewise a moderniser.

One of her colleagues, Debbie Tatton, informed the BBC: "When Denise came, she wanted a better relationship in between the yohaig code personnel and the customers. We became a lot more expert, a lot more customer-focused. A lot of younger people started can be found in, in addition to a lot more girls."

In 2000, Ms Coates upped the stakes and convinced the household to mortgage business to permit them to develop new software.

Her bro states she ended up being fixated on the capacity for online gambling and ended up being a pioneer because service.

Establishing head office in a momentary building in a parking area, Ms Coates called it the supreme gamble, purchasing the domain name Bet365.com so that she could drive business because instructions.

'Innate knowledge'

"She's extremely smart and extremely figured out," states Warwick Bartlett, from worldwide betting and video gaming experts GBGC.

"She is also efficient in looking at the big image. Betfair was the innovator in in-play wagering, however she was essentially the first to harness mobile technology, recognising that gamblers anywhere would have the ability to bank on sporting events."

A big 70% of earnings now comes through banking on tablets and phones.

She is assisted, Mr Bartlett states, by the truth that she, distinctively, truly knows the market. "The Coates household are third-generation bookies. They have learned business from parents and grandparents.

"She has an innate understanding of what the bettor is trying to find. A great deal of the business nowadays have supervisors that might have originated from [other sectors] They are expert supervisors who attempt to apply their knowledge acquired from offering beans or margarines."

Ad debate

Mr Bartlett states close understanding of another company has actually assisted with the in-play football earnings: Bet365 owns local club Stoke City.

"Owning a football club provided them an insight into the way the Premier League worked. Stoke City, not so successful itself, has played teams that actually are," he states.

"On top of the contact with the professionals they take advantage of protection through the sponsorship of the team. Bet365 has excellent direct exposure whenever Stoke are included."

Ms Coates' dad is chairman of Stoke and has a higher public profile than she does.

But the name best associated with Bet365 is, naturally, Ray Winstone, whose gravelly tones utilized to prompt punters to "bet in play - NOW!" before the ads were pulled.

Again, Warwick Bartlett says, Ms Coates got it right. "Using Ray verifies my point about 365, they understand their consumers. He's a middle-aged guy and a bit of a geezer.

"Cleverly, Bet365 usage similar types to attract their clients in other markets. In Australia, it's Samuel L Jackson - he stumbles upon in the advert as an extremely cool guy."

Bet365 continues to keep one action ahead. It's moving into the US as the market there opens.

But while Denise Coates' business brain believes international, she herself is likely to stay rooted in Stoke.

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