Bruce Mathieson (businessman)
Bruce Mathieson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Cobden, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Years active | Mid-1970s–present |
| Known for | Ownership stakes in pubs, hotels, gambling industries; controlling 45% of poker machines in Victoria; major shareholder in Endeavour Group and Star Entertainment Group |
| Notable work | Bruce Mathieson Group; ALH Group joint venture with Woolworths; Ord Minnett part ownership |
Bruce Mathieson, originally from Cobden, Victoria, is an Australian entrepreneur widely recognized as a 'billionaire pub baron' with substantial stakes in the nation's pub, hotel, and gambling industries.
By 2022, Mathieson and his family controlled 45% of all poker machines across Victoria. He is reported to possess a 15% share in the Endeavour Group, a partnership with Woolworths that manages 340 pubs alongside the Dan Murphy and BWS liquor brands. In 2022, Mathieson stepped down from his role as director of Endeavour Group, with his son, Bruce Mathieson Jnr, taking over the position.
Career
Mathieson began acquiring hotels in the mid-1970s, gradually growing his portfolio under the Bruce Mathieson Group. By the year 2000, he owned 35 establishments in Victoria. That same year, he arranged a joint venture with Woolworths which led to the purchase of the ALH Group in 2004 for $1.4 billion. Numerous ALH venues feature poker machines, positioning Woolworths and Mathieson as Australia's leading operators of these machines.
He also holds a partial ownership interest in the stockbroking firm Ord Minnett.
In 2023, Mathieson acquired a 10% holding in the Star Entertainment Group, becoming its largest shareholder. Following an equity raise in September, his stake decreased to 6.35%, but he repurchased approximately three million Star shares in October 2023. By February 2024, his ownership had risen to 8.21%.
Personal life
Mathieson is a father to several children, including his son Bruce Mathieson, Jnr, who succeeded him as director of both Endeavour Group and ALH Group. Additionally, he has two daughters who individually own considerable numbers of poker machines. This distribution of ownership among family members allows them to remain under the state-imposed 35% limit on total poker machine holdings.
In 2023, Mathieson received a diagnosis of myeloma.
Net worth
In 2013, Forbes estimated Mathieson's net worth at over 1.00 billion.
| Year | Financial Review Rich List |
Forbes Australia's 50 Richest | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Net worth (A$) | Rank | Net worth (US$) | |
| 2020 | Template:Nts Template:Up | $1.54 billion Template:Up | ||
| 2021 | Template:Nts Template:Up | $1.81 billion Template:Up | ||
| 2023 | Template:Nts Decrease | $2.13 billion Decrease | ||
| 2024 | $1.70 billion Decrease | |||
| 2025 | Template:Nts Decrease | $1.27 billion Decrease | ||
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Icon | Description |
| Steady | Unchanged compared to previous year |
| Increase | Increased relative to prior year |
| Template:Loss | Decreased relative to prior year |
