Brighton & Hove Albion chairman accused of running £600m betting syndicate
Former employee sues Tony Bloom for alleged unpaid profits
Chairman of Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion, Tony Bloom, is being sued over allegations of operating a £600 million gambling syndicate, to bet on football matches.
The claims have been made by Ryan Dudfield, a former employee of Mr Bloom’s consultancy, Starlizard, who alleges he is owed $17.5 million (£13.1 million) in profits he was promised from the operation.
Court documents filed at the High Court outline Dudfield’s accusations that Bloom ran the syndicate through Starlizard using data analytics to make high-stakes bets. The claims suggest Mr Bloom placed bets through accounts held by George Cottrell, previously chief of staff to Nigel Farage.
Dudfield, who worked for Starlizard Consulting between April 2008 and May 2017, claims he introduced Mr Cottrell to the syndicate and an agreement was made to entitle him to 7% of profits generated.
Dudfield’s lawyer, Christopher Snell, alleged in court filings that the betting syndicate used secret accounts operated by third parties, often individuals with profiles as "whale" gamblers. These accounts allegedly included names of well-known footballers, sportspeople, and businessmen.
Starlizard was incorporated by Mr Bloom in 2006, and Dudfield claims he worked for its sole client — Mr Bloom’s betting syndicate. According to Dudfield’s claims, the syndicate generates yearly profits of around £600 million.
Mr Bloom has not yet filed a defence to the claim.
Approached for comment through his legal representatives and Brighton & Hove Albion, Mr Bloom has not responded.