Denise Coates became the highest paid executive in the UK in 2017, awarding herself a salary of £217m.[19] In 2018, her pay packet rose to £265m as the company reported profits up 31% to £660m, prompting criticism from problem gambling charity groups.[20] In January 2019, Bet365 ranked second on The Sunday Times list of the UK’s top taxpayers, with the Coates family – Denise, John and Peter – paying an estimated total tax of £156 million, of which £99 million was paid by Denise alone.[21]