The chairman of soccer club Brighton & Hove Albion, Tony Bloom, has come under fire in the media this week after a story alleged he was an anonymous gambler behind winnings of $70 million.
On Friday (December 5), The Guardian posted an ‘exclusive’ in which they say the Brighton owner is facing questions over claims he was an anonymous gambler behind major winnings which allegedly included bets on his football teams.
“Bloom – one of the world’s most successful professional gamblers – is claimed to be the ‘John Doe’ referred to in a US legal case that tried to unmask who has benefited from the lucrative winning streak,” the article reads. They also claim that the man faces a separate UK court claim that he allegedly “uses frontmen to place substantial bets for a gambling syndicate he controls.”
The publisher says they approached Bloom who declined to answer whether he was the ‘John Doe’ in the court filing. He denied betting on his teams or competitions that involve them, with a further source closing to him describing the allegations as being “entirely false.”
The syndicate became the focus of public allegations after the co-founder of the online gambling company Rollbit accused it of placing bets on Bloom’s own football teams. The claim was posted on X on November 14 by the co-founder, who goes by the name Razer.
They alleged that the syndicate placed bets on Rollbit through a third party. Since then, others have repeated similar allegations, saying the syndicate bet on teams and competitions connected to Bloom. If true, that would violate FA rules.
Tony Bloom and Brighton release statement denying alleged gambling claims
In a statement issued on behalf of Tony Bloom, by the soccer club, it says: “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.”
The statement continues to explain the policy introduced by the FA in 2014 which has “quite onerous provisions for owners of football clubs with interests in betting.” It states the policy prevents him 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.”
The club is in contact with The Football Association and The Premier League over the matter and The Guardian have further reported that its reporters and photographers have been ‘banned’ from attending matches at the Amex Stadium.
Featured Image: CC2.0 license by The Stadium Guide on Flickr
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