Brighton Owner Tony Bloom Denies Millions Owed in Gambling Syndicate Dispute
The billionaire owner of Brighton & Hove Albion football club, Tony Bloom, has confirmed his betting syndicate placed millions of pounds worth of wagers through the gambling accounts of Reform UK adviser George Cottrell. This admission comes in a high court document where Bloom denies owing any further money to former colleague Ryan Dudfield, who is suing him for a share of the profits.
Legal Battle Over Betting Arrangement
In his defence filed to the high court, Bloom acknowledges an agreement existed between himself, Cottrell, and former employee Ryan Dudfield, under which winnings were to be split between them. However, Bloom contends that Dudfield received a £60,000 "nuisance payment" in July 2023 to settle any claims, having already "cashed out" his position in December 2022. The court document states Bloom had no obligation to pay Dudfield further and suggests any remaining claims should be directed toward Cottrell.
Dudfield claims he is owed $17.5 million (£13.1 million) from the arrangement, which involved bets placed for Bloom through Cottrell's accounts. The dispute has brought attention to the substantial sums and operational methods behind one of the world's most successful betting operations.
Details of the Syndicate Agreement
According to the 17-page legal response, the agreement specified that Cottrell would allow Bloom to place bets on a gambling account in Cottrell's name, described as a "hedging account" with Sportsbet.io. The syndicate was entitled to a 60% share of winnings, with Dudfield and Cottrell splitting the remaining 40% between them—7% for Dudfield and 33% for Cottrell.
Bloom's defence alleges the syndicate made millions of dollars from betting using Cottrell's accounts. From August to December 2022 alone, it generated $3.7 million in net winnings. The document further claims the syndicate continued placing bets through Cottrell until October 2025, accumulating an additional $2.4 million in net winnings.
Key Points of Contention
A central disagreement revolves around whether the agreement covered multiple betting accounts or just one. Bloom's defence asserts that only one account belonging to Cottrell was used before Dudfield "cashed out," with five others utilised afterwards. Bloom denies these include an alleged account at the online platform stake.com.
The court document confirms that Bloom's syndicate used multiple third parties to place bets through "exotic accounts," but there was no "standard practice" for their operation, and they were not referred to as "secret." While Bloom does not admit the syndicate is "secretive," he confirms it maintains "information barriers" between departments at Starlizard Consulting, which operates the syndicate.
Background and Broader Context
Bloom, who made his fortune from gambling and is the majority shareholder and chair of Brighton & Hove Albion, notes that membership in the syndicate was sometimes offered as a perk to employees, though non-employee members also exist. The defence reveals that in 2018, after Dudfield left Starlizard Consulting but before the Cottrell agreement, he was given £405,000 to settle a debt, offset against future syndicate winnings that only amounted to £102,000.
High-profile gamblers like Bloom often face restrictions from betting sites due to the scale and frequency of their wagers, leading to the use of "whales"—individuals like Cottrell who place large bets on their behalf. However, Bloom's defence states he did not "require" so-called "exotic accounts" using others' identities and that much of his betting does not involve such methods.
Lawyers for Cottrell previously commented that their client is not a party to the proceedings and considers it inappropriate to comment in the media. Both Dudfield and Bloom have declined to comment on the ongoing legal case, which continues to unfold in the high court.
