# bet365 **bet365** is the privately held British online-gambling company founded and run by the Coates family of Stoke-on-Trent, with Denise Coates as CEO. In the U.S. it is a second-tier sportsbook: live in about 17 states with roughly 4% of national handle, per DeFi Rate. It matters here as the one big online operator that left the casino lobby **without** going into prediction markets, and as one of the four sportsbooks funding the industry's 2026 political push. ## Leaving the AGA On March 24, 2026, bet365 resigned from the [[American Gaming Association]], the fourth major operator to leave in five months after [[DraftKings]], [[FanDuel]] and [[Fanatics]]. Its explanation was about business model, not prediction markets: "As a digital-first operator, bet365 has pulled back from the AGA due to the organization's focus on the retail casino industry." Unlike the other three, it has not launched event contracts. An insider told DeFi Rate it has no current plans to, but has not ruled it out. It remains a member of the [[Sports Betting Alliance]], the online sportsbooks' own state lobby. ## Political money Reuters counted **$5.5 million** from bet365 in the sportsbooks' 2026-cycle political spending, through the [[Win for America]] super PAC (contributor of record: Hillside (Shared Services US) LLC) and its affiliate PACs ([[American Future]] and [[American Conservative Fund]]). Most of it went into state races, where licensing and gaming taxes are set. The bloc's total was **$72 million**: DraftKings $34 million, FanDuel $27 million, bet365 and Fanatics $5.5 million each. See [[Sports Betting]]. ## Ownership In May 2025 the Coates family was reported to be weighing a sale or spinoff valuing the company at about $12 billion. ## See also - [[American Gaming Association]] · [[DraftKings]] · [[FanDuel]] · [[Fanatics]] - [[Sports Betting]] · [[Prediction Markets and Gambling Sector]]