Fred Done
Fred Done | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Need valid birth date: year, month, day Ordsall, Greater Manchester, England |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, bookmaker |
| Known for | Founder of Betfred |
Fred Done (born March 1943) is a British billionaire entrepreneur and the originator of the bookmaker chain Betfred, which manages more than 1,600 betting outlets throughout the UK.
Early life
Raised in Ordsall, Greater Manchester alongside three siblings, Done and his brother Peter Done left formal education at age 15 without earning qualifications. Their early experience included working within their father’s unlawful bookmaking operation.
Career
At 24 years old in 1967, Done and his brother launched their inaugural bookmaker shop, financed by winnings from England's 1966 FIFA World Cup triumph. By the mid-1980s, their business had expanded to over 70 locations. In 1983, Done established Peninsula Business Services, a conglomerate comprising more than ten firms focused on employment law, workplace health, and human resources services.
In 1998, Done made history as the first bookmaker to pay out prematurely on Manchester United securing the Premier League championship. The company was renamed Betfred in 2004.
Following the £265 million acquisition of The Tote from the UK government in 2011, Done revealed plans in 2015 to sell a quarter stake in the business. His investment portfolio has grown to include Adzooma, a Nottingham-based online advertising service acquired in 2018, and GGRecon, an esports media company headquartered in Manchester, purchased in 2020.
In 2021, Done transitioned from his role as Betfred CEO to take on the position of chairman. By 2023, the Sunday Times Rich List valued his personal fortune at approximately £1.87 billion, which increased alongside his family’s wealth to £2.915 billion by May 2025.