Brighton’s Tony Bloom has dismissed the accusations as false, but the story continues to grow as politicians and legal specialists look on.
Brighton & Hove Albion owner Tony Bloom has issued a statement against allegations related to his private gambling operation.
In a statement released via the Premier League club’s website on December 5, Bloom described reporting by The Guardian as “inaccurate and misleading”, insisting he has “not placed bets on any Brighton & Hove Albion matches” since acquiring the club in 2009.
He added he has fully complied with the Football Association (FA) rules brought in during 2014, which restrict betting by club owners with interests in gambling businesses.
“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 said.
He confirmed lawyers acting on his behalf had contacted The Guardian to challenge what he called “entirely false” allegations, while the club has separately been in contact with both the FA and Premier League.
Bloom’s comments were followed by Brighton banning Guardian journalists and photographers from attending matches at the Amex Stadium. The newspaper said it was informed on December 6 that its accreditation would be withdrawn.
The move has attracted political criticism, with Caroline Dinenage, Chair of the House of Commons Culture Select Committee, stating it reflected “a concerning trend of football clubs restricting access to journalists because of things that have been written about them”.
“Football clubs are a major part of our communities,” she added. “Whilst they are entitled to expect fair and accurate reporting, it is right that they should be open to scrutiny and transparency for the fans.”
Brighton did not respond directly to Insider Sport’s request for comment. The FA said it would not comment on active legal proceedings.
Background to the legal claim
The latest escalation follows a High Court claim filed by former associate Ryan Dudfield, who alleges he is owed around $17.5m in unpaid profits from Bloom’s private betting syndicate, Starlizard.
As previously reported, Dudfield says he introduced the group to George Cottrell, whose betting accounts were used to place wagers on football and other sports.
According to filings, Dudfield was entitled to a share of winnings generated through those accounts, along with Cottrell. He claims he was told the accounts were no longer being used, only to later discover betting activity had continued without his knowledge.
Cottrell and Bloom associate Ian McAleavy are alleged to have kept the arrangement running.
The claim also references a wider network of “footballers, sportsmen and businessmen” whose accounts were used to bypass restrictions placed on high-stakes bettors by gambling operators, with some wagers reportedly placed through crypto-based casino Stake.com.
Regulatory and crypto-betting risks
Nick Arron, lead partner for the gambling team at Poppleston Allen, told Insider Sport aspects of the allegations touch on areas which fall under the Gambling Act 2005, including activity that could qualify as acting as a “betting intermediary”.
He noted placing bets using other people’s accounts can, in some circumstances, require an intermediary operating licence. “This licence allows you to bring two or more betting parties together online in circumstances where you do not have liability for their bets,” he said.
Arron also highlighted significant regulatory barriers around the use of cryptocurrency in gambling. While technically possible, he said operators struggle to meet the UK Gambling Commission’s requirements on customer identity, source-of-funds checks and anti-money-laundering controls.
