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Brothers Fred and Peter Done opened their first high street betting shop in Salford in 1967. Using their insight from their father's bookmaking efforts - along with a hefty win from a successful wager on England's 1966 World Cup victory - they established a comfortable and reputable business with an emphasis on customer service which soon required further premises.

During the 80's Fred Done established the 'Lucky 15' bet - giving punters the chance to win a large payout from a small stake by spreading bets across several fixtures and accumulating the win. The company cemented its USP by positioning itself as the 'Bonus King', offering more daily promotions and bonus boosts than any competitor. This propelled Betfred's success, and by the late 1990s the company had increased its high-street presence to 100 shops, rising again over the next decade to over 500 shops, one of which created the first betting shop millionaire in 2004.

In 2011, Betfred won the auction to buy Totesport for £265m, making the group the country's fourth-largest high street bookmakers and largest Racing sponsor, sponsoring 700 races per year between 2011 and 2018. The purchase represented a commitment from Betfred to raise the profile of the Racing industry by increasing investment and commercialisation, along with a focus on charitable and social responsibility. The Tote acquisition has helped to render Betfred a dominant player in the bookmaking industry, with high profile partnerships (Manchester United, Wembley Stadium) and exclusive sponsorship deals across a number of sports, such as the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the World Snooker Championships.

Furthermore, Betfred's online presence has grown rapidly to become the fastest growing eGaming business in the UK. Alongside the vast array of digital offerings available at Betfred.com, the company has developed an award winning innovative mobile platform, with betting opportunities in over 200 web games and mobile apps for products such as Goals Galore, Lotto and Virtual Racing.

In 1998 Betfred was forced to accept a reputed loss of £500,000 when they became the first bookkeepers ever to pay out on a fixture early - namely on Manchester United winning the Premier League title, which went to Arsenal. A similar early payout cost the company dearly in 2012 when Manchester City finally beat Manchester United to the title on goal difference. However, such historic losses have failed to slow down the massive growth of Betfred, who operate from its headquarters in Warrington. It continues to place customer service at the forefront of its offering, with dedicated training for its 10,000 staff across the UK (including award-winning shop managers), along with practical efforts such as its in-house TV channel and the latest technology showing all fixtures available in all its licensed premises. Co-founder Fred Done's dedication to investment in the high street is reflected in the ongoing acquisition of premises, such as the recent purchase of over 300 shops from Ladbroke/Coral, bringing the estate total to over 1,300 licensed offices. Betfred's annual turnover currently rests at an eye-watering £8bn and, as it remains privately owned, renders Betfred the world's largest independent bookmaker.