Brighton owner slams “inaccurate and misleading” Guardian gambling reports

Brighton & Hove Albion’s owner, Tony Bloom, has hit back at claims that he placed bets against his own football team.

Bloom was responding to reports from The Guardian that stated he placed bets on football games, including the side he has owned since 2009, through his Starlizard betting syndicate.

A statement released by Bloom said: “Following an inaccurate and misleading report in The Guardian earlier this evening, I can categorically assure our supporters that I have not placed bets on any Brighton & Hove Albion matches since becoming the owner of the club in 2009.

“In 2014, in addition to new rules on betting, the [Football Association] introduced a policy with quite onerous provisions for owners of football clubs with interests in betting. These provisions allow certain football club owners, including me, to continue to bet on football under strict conditions.

“In particular, the policy prevents me from betting on any match or competition that Brighton & Hove Albion is involved in. Since 2014, I have always fully complied with these conditions, and all of my bets on football are audited by one of the world’s leading accounting firms on an annual basis to ensure full compliance with The FA’s policy.”

Bloom set up the data company Starlizard Consulting in 2006, which generates statistical models that provide gamblers with an edge in football betting markets. This data is then used to help generate bets for his betting syndicate, which is alleged to make approximately £600m each year.

Known as “the Lizard” during his stint as a poker player, Bloom is reported to have amassed a fortune of over £1.3bn primarily through the Starlizard betting syndicate and his investments.

Court trouble

However, the 55-year-old has become embroiled in court action on both sides of the Atlantic.

Allegations related to betting on Brighton stem from a case brought by Rollbit’s parent company, Bull Gaming NV, against James Hopkins and an unknown ‘John Doe’ in Curacao. The crypto casino alleges that Hopkins used his Rollbit account to bet on behalf of a syndicate.

Although Bloom has not been named, Rollbit’s Founder, known as Razer, posted the claim on X that the Brighton owner is the unnamed individual in the case, and his syndicate placed “multi-million dollar bets” on teams Bloom has a controlling stake in. 

Alongside Brighton, Bloom has a financial interest in the Belgian side Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, the Scottish side Hearts and the Australian A-League club Melbourne Victory.

As mentioned by Bloom in his statement, he is one of a few owners within English football who is allowed to gamble on football by the FA, as long as he does not bet on any of his own teams or competitions they take part in.

Rollbit filed a motion with the United States District Court in California to obtain discovery from the cryptocurrency exchange Kraken regarding accounts held by Hopkins and the John Doe. However, the judge denied the application, but the dispute is ongoing.

Meanwhile, in the UK, a high court case has been brought against the Starlizard betting syndicate by a former associate, Ryan Dudfield, who claims that he is owed around $17.5m under a profit-share agreement.

The court documents claim that Dudfield’s role involved introducing the syndicate to George Cottrell, who allowed the group to use his betting accounts for wagers on football and other sports with Stake.com. 

Dudfield and Cottrell then received shares of the winnings generated through those accounts. However, Dudfield alleges that the activity on the accounts continued after he was told by the syndicate that Cottrell’s accounts were no longer in use.

Within the court documents, it is claimed that Bloom’s syndicate uses frontmen, including “footballers, sportsmen and businessmen” to place substantial bets.

MPs wade in

Following the reports by the Guardian, MPs such as Clive Betts, the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Football, have insisted that the FA conduct a “comprehensive investigation” into the allegations.

Ian Duncan Smith, former Leader of the Conservative Party and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Gambling Reform, has also urged the FA to be “much more transparent about their lax policy concerning the use of gambling money in the running of their clubs”.

In his statement, Bloom confirmed that lawyers have contacted The Guardian on his behalf regarding the “entirely false allegation”, and Brighton remains in direct contact with both The FA and the Premier League.

Guardian reporters and photographers were also banned from attending the Amex Stadium for the side’s 1-1 draw with West Ham on Sunday (8 December).