Football Betting Tips & Previews

History

2020
GVC Holdings changes its name to Entain Group.

2018
GVC Holdings buys Ladbrokes Coral Group in a deal worth around £4 billion.

2016
The Gala Coral Group merges with Ladbrokes. The UK government forces the sale of 350-400 stores but ultimately approves the merger. The newly merged businesses are together known as the Ladbrokes Coral Group.

2009
Coral launches Coral TV from purpose-built studios in Milton Keynes.

2005
Gala acquires Coral Eurobet for £2.18 billion. The new company is known as the Gala Coral Group.

1999
Coral acquires online betting company Eurobet. The new company is called Coral Eurobet.

1998
Ladbrokes purchases Coral for £363 million. The UK government deems the deal anti-competitive and orders its breakup.

1981
Brewing company Bass purchases Coral. Joe Coral steps away from the day-to-day running of the business but stays on as its president.

1963
Coral becomes a limited company, and an expansion into hotels, casinos and bingo halls begins.

1961
Joe Coral is among the first entrepreneurs to capitalize on the freedoms introduced by new gambling legislation. The first Coral betting shop opens.

1941
Joe Coral opens a credit office in London’s West End.

1926
A young Polish immigrant called Joe Coral starts to accept bets at a billiards hall in London. He soon starts taking bets at greyhound tracks.

History

2020
GVC Holdings rebrands as Entain Group PLC.

2018
GVC Holdings obtains Ladbrokes Coral Group in a deal rumoured to be worth £4 billion.

2016
The merger of Ladbrokes and the Gala Coral Group completes. Ladbrokes changes its name to Ladbrokes Coral Group.

2015
Ladbrokes announces talks with the Gala Coral Group about merging the two companies. The UK government forces the sale of between 350 and 400 betting shops before approving the merger.

2000
Ladbrokes expands online. Its brand recognition and instant access to prime physical advertising space in betting shops across the UK ensures swift success.

1998
Ladbrokes purchases Coral. The UK Government finds the deal in breach of anti-competitions laws and forces Ladbrokes to sell Coral.

1967
Ladbrokes floats on the London Stock Exchange. The money raised kickstarts the expansion of the company’s betting shops portfolio. The number on Britain’s high streets would increase from 50 to over 1,000 over the next six years.

1961
The UK government legalises betting shops. Ladbrokes’ march onto the high street begins.

1919
Helen Vernet joins the firm as one of the country’s first female bookmakers. Vernet continues to make strides for women in business, becoming a partner in the late 1920s and remaining active in the firm until shortly before her death in 1956.

1902
Arthur Bendir joins Ladbrokes. The company adopts its famous name and moves operations from Warwickshire to London, first occupying an office near the Strand and later in Hanover Square and Mayfair.

1886
The company now known as Ladbrokes is founded in Warwickshire by Messrs Schwind and Pennington. It serves as a small agency earning a commission from high society bettors in English horse racing circles.

History

2021
Bet365 wins the Online Sports Betting Operator award at the Global Gaming Awards.

2019
Bet365 agrees to donate 1% of gross income to combat problem gambling. Other participating operators include William Hill, Flutter Entertainment, Stars Group, and GVC Holdings.

2017
Denise Coates becomes the UK’s highest-paid executive with a salary of £217 million.

2014
Bet365 donates £105 million to charitable causes.

2011
Mobile betting arrives at Bet365. Denise Coates is awarded a CBE for services to the community and business in the New Year Honours.

2005
Bet365 sells its land-based betting shops to Coral to focus exclusively on Internet betting.

2004
Online poker goes live on Bet365.com.

2001
Denise Coates secures a multi-million loan from RBS against the family’s portfolio of betting shops. Bet365.com goes live.

2000
Denise Coates purchases the Bet365.com domain name from eBay. She runs the company from a portacabin near one of her father’s betting shops for its first year.