Fred and Peter Done, the founders of popular bookmaker Betfred, are top of the league when it comes to paying tax in the UK.
The brothers contributed more than £400 million to help fund public services according to The Sunday Times Tax List for 2026.
They are joined in the top 10 by Denise Coates, her father Peter and brother John, the family behind bet365.
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland is the youngest person to appear in the ranking which also includes Liverpool’s Mo Salah.
Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn makes the cut and British heavyweight Anthony Joshua punched high enough to occupy 100th place.
Haaland Nets Football’s Biggest Tax Bill
Erling Haaland contributed the most tax among the footballers included on the list.
The Manchester City goal machine paid out £16.9 million in tax and is the youngest person in the top 100 ranking.
Haaland, 25, earns around £500,000 a week in the Premier League with a further estimated £10 million a year from bonuses and image rights.
Liverpool’s Mo Salah is the second-highest contributor from football’s elite, his £14.5 million bill placing him 81st overall.
The pair occupy the top two spots when it comes to football’s top 10 taxpayers.
Brazilian midfielder Casemiro is in third.
The Manchester United star earns an estimated £350,000 a week at Old Trafford though he is leaving at the end of the season.
A surprise entry in fourth is Chelsea outcast Raheem Sterling.
He has just walked away from Stamford Bridge and a weekly salary of £325,000 to look for a new club with Fulham and West Ham battling for his signature.
Top 10 Footballers Paying UK Tax
1 Erling Haaland (Manchester City) £16.9 million
2 Mo Salah (Liverpool) £14.5 million
3 Casemiro (Manchester United) 10.9 million
4 Raheem Sterling (while at Chelsea) £9.8 million
5 Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) £9.7 million
6= Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) £9 million
6= Bernardo Silva (Manchester City) £9 million
8 Omar Marmoush (Manchester City) £8.8 million
9 Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal) £7.9 million
10 Kai Havertz (Arsenal) £7.8 million
Betting Giants Betfred The UK’s No 1
Fred and Peter Done paid £400.1 million in tax during 2024-25, nearly £70 million more than Moscow-born financial trading entrepreneur Alex Gerko, who is second in The Sunday Times’ top 100.
The bothers founded Warrington-based Betfred in 1967.
They funded their business using winnings from a bet on England to win the 1966 World Cup.
The betting industry is bracing itself for a gambling tax hike in April brought about by Rachel Reeves’ autumn Budget.
Fred Done warned that any changes to present tax levies could result in shop closures.
Betfred recently returned to profitability after withdrawing from some of its overseas operations to focus on its UK business.
Higher profits mean bigger dividends which may go some way to explaining the Done brothers’ increase in personal tax.
Bet365 owners the Coates family are fifth in the ranking having paid £227.1 million in tax.
That was a sizeable drop from the £364 million they forked out in 2024.
Denise Coates is Britain’s richest self-made woman and paid herself £104.3 million in salary from bet365 last year.
Other Notable Names From Sport
Former Newcastle owner Mike Ashley ranks in ninth having paid £175.9 million in tax.
Through the success of his retail business Ashley owned Newcastle for 14 years and has been linked with bids for other clubs since leaving St James’ Park.
Barry and Eddie Hearn sit in joint 59th place having paid £22.9 million as a family.
The father and son team have made their fortune as sports promoters through Matchroom Sport, predominantly in snooker and boxing.
Eddie represents British heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua.
The former two-time unified world heavyweight champion contributed £11 million in tax payments which sees him 100th on the list.
