Bet365: UK's best-paid boss sees pay rise to £265m

When building her empire, she says the defining moment came at the start of the millennium when she mortgaged the chain of betting shops to raise £15m, and used it to create a slick, sophisticated online business.

‘We were the ultimate gamblers, if you like,’ she recalled, several years ago in a rare interview.

For this unlikely tycoon, that gamble has paid off rather handsomely. Regrettably, for all too many of the punters who line her coffers, it has led only to the depths of despair.