BetFred takes £8.8bn in wagers
High Street bookmaker Betfred saw a rise in the amounts wagered over the last financial year up to £8.8bn from almost £7bn the year before and made nearly £38m in pre tax profits.
The figures for the private company filed at Companies House on Friday also revealed a £50.8m interim dividend payment to shareholders – the Done family – paid in November 2021, for the year ending September 2022.
Still run by its founder Fred Done, who started the business with his brother Peter in 1967, the Warrington headquartered bookmaker hit a record £10.1bn in takings in 2019, and these figures still include a period when shops were closed due to Covid restrictions.
Turnover for the business, which includes betting shops, online gaming in the UK, South Africa, Gibraltar and the US.
In 2021 it took majority shareholding in LottoStar which offers fixed-odds numbers betting and live games on its online platform.
It also said it spent £686,000 on an acquisition that didn’t materialise.
The company is also considering further expansion in the US.
The business shut 51 shops over the course of the financial year, but still operates in 1,419 locations.
Loss-making shops are under constant review, it said.
