Bet365 guarantees staff wages and no layoffs for five months

Bet365 has promised to guarantee the salaries of its workforce and to not make any redundancies for the next five months, according to local media reports.

The Stoke-based online giant’s multi-million-pound package deployed amid the coronavirus outbreak means its global workforce of almost 4,600 employees won’t see any cut in their pay or any job losses up until the end of August.

The news will come as welcome relief for staff at a time when the global pandemic has decimated the sporting calendar, forcing operators to rely on gaming and more obscure sports markets to compensate for the lost business.

Bet365’s homepage on Monday morning was displaying football from Australia and Myanmar, as well as esports and table tennis matches.

A spokesperson for bet365 told Stoke newspaper The Sentinel: “In times of uncertainty, it was essential that we reassured our people of the commitment we have to them and the wider community.

“They have been instrumental in our success and will continue to be so throughout these troubling times and beyond, when normality will inevitably be restored.”

The same pledge to protect jobs and salaries applies to Stoke City Football Club which employs around 1000 staff and, like bet365, is owned by the Coates family.

The privately-owned operator recorded revenue of £2.98bn and operating profit of £767.1m for the 53-week period ended 31 March 2019.

Earlier this month, bet365 expanded its presence in Manchester by renting a 25,000 square-foot space in a refurbished office block located in the heart of the city.