This archive report was first published on 23 December 2019.
Published on December 23, 2019, Forbes magazine estimated Denise Coates' net worth to be at Sh 1.2 trillion ($12.2 billion), ranking 244th on its Billionaires 2019 list.
Coates, the founder of global gambling site Bet365, paid herself a record-breaking Sh42.4 billion ($422 million) paycheck this year, in addition to KSh 10.3 (£92.5 million) in dividends from her 50% stake in the British online bookmaker.
According to company books, Coates, who is believed to be Bet365's highest-paid director, paid herself nearly £277 million for the year ended March 2019.
Her total paycheck for the year worked out at a staggering Sh36 billion (£323 million), equating to Sh145 million (£1.3 million) per working day of the year.
Coates' impressive earnings come as Bet365 saw net profits increase by 18% in the year to the end of March 2019.
Coates, who has a first-class degree in econometrics from the University of Sheffield, founded Bet365 with her brother John Coates in 2000. The company also owns English football club Stoke City, where Coates' father Peter Coates is the chairman.
