Billionaire Sportsbet.io Owner Denies Owing Millions to Former Colleague Amid High-Stakes Betting Dispute.
The business dealings of billionaire Tony Bloom, owner of Brighton & Hove Albion football club, have come under scrutiny after a high court document revealed that his syndicate used millions of pounds worth of bets through the accounts of Reform UK adviser George Cottrell.
Bloom claims in a 17-page response to former employee Ryan Dudfield's claim for £13.1 million in unpaid winnings that an agreement was made between the trio, allowing Bloom to place bets on a 'hedging account' held by Cottrell through his name, with Dudfield and Cottrell entitled to 40% of the net winnings.
However, Dudfield disputes this, stating that he had thought their arrangement had ended in December 2022. He is now pursuing a case against Bloom and his syndicate for millions of dollars made from betting using accounts in the name of Cottrell.
Bloom's defense maintains that Dudfield received a £60,000 "nuisance payment" to settle any claims he had against him last year, thus covering all claims brought by Dudfield.
In the case, key points include whether the agreement with Dudfield, Cottrell and Bloom covered a wide range of accounts used by Cottrell for betting. According to Bloom's defense, only one account was used before Dudfield "cashed out" but he denies the use of five other accounts at online platforms such as Stake.com.
Bloom also disputes claims that his syndicate operates 'secretly', stating it maintains "information barriers" between departments and those who place bets.
The business dealings of billionaire Tony Bloom, owner of Brighton & Hove Albion football club, have come under scrutiny after a high court document revealed that his syndicate used millions of pounds worth of bets through the accounts of Reform UK adviser George Cottrell.
Bloom claims in a 17-page response to former employee Ryan Dudfield's claim for £13.1 million in unpaid winnings that an agreement was made between the trio, allowing Bloom to place bets on a 'hedging account' held by Cottrell through his name, with Dudfield and Cottrell entitled to 40% of the net winnings.
However, Dudfield disputes this, stating that he had thought their arrangement had ended in December 2022. He is now pursuing a case against Bloom and his syndicate for millions of dollars made from betting using accounts in the name of Cottrell.
Bloom's defense maintains that Dudfield received a £60,000 "nuisance payment" to settle any claims he had against him last year, thus covering all claims brought by Dudfield.
In the case, key points include whether the agreement with Dudfield, Cottrell and Bloom covered a wide range of accounts used by Cottrell for betting. According to Bloom's defense, only one account was used before Dudfield "cashed out" but he denies the use of five other accounts at online platforms such as Stake.com.
Bloom also disputes claims that his syndicate operates 'secretly', stating it maintains "information barriers" between departments and those who place bets.
. Anyway, back to this billionaire dude, Tony Bloom... I wonder if he'd be good at Survivor or The Mole, you know, all that hiding and scheming stuff 
. And what's with the £60k "nuisance payment"? Is that like a UK thing? Do people just pay each other to shut up about things? 
. Billionaires like Tony Bloom can do whatever they want and not have to answer for it, as long as they've got enough cash to throw around 
. And now he's trying to blame Dudfield for getting caught up in his own mess 
. I mean, come on, if you're gonna cheat someone out of millions, don't try to cover your tracks and then act surprised when they fight back 
. The whole thing reeks of corporate greed and a lack of accountability 
. And what's with the "nuisance payment" excuse? Just another way for him to sweep his problems under the rug 
.
. And what's with these info barriers? Sounds like just a fancy way of saying they don't want anyone to know how much cash is flowing through their accounts 
. Dudfield's right to fight for his rightful winnings, in my opinion... this whole thing stinks of fishy dealings 
.
Like, how do you not keep track of your own business? 
And now he's trying to claim that a £60k "nuisance payment" is gonna cover everything? 
Not buying it. 
I mean, this guy's got millions at stake - you'd think he'd have a system in place to avoid disputes like this... but nope! 
... and the fact that they're using Cottrell's accounts without his explicit consent? Totally not cool 
... someone needs to get to the bottom of this shady dealings 
... 5 other accounts used by Cottrell, huh? Definitely more to investigate 
. and let this be a lesson to anyone who thinks they can game the system: transparency is key, not secrecy! 
. One can't help but wonder what other secrets might be lurking beneath the surface 
anyway, i guess we'll just have to wait for the court case to figure it all out 
), but you've got to wonder if he was just trying to get out of paying up when things didn't go his way. And I'm curious to know more about this "hedging account" deal – sounds like some shady stuff going on 
. The question is, did it really cover all of Dudfield's claims? We'll just have to wait and see how this whole thing plays out 
.
also, bloom saying his syndicate operates "information barriers" but really they're just being super dodgy about it 