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Tony Bloom — the billionaire owner and chair of Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion has confirmed in a legal defence that bets were placed through gambling accounts held in the name of George Cottrell, a Reform UK adviser, using the crypto-focused sportsbook Sportsbet.io.

The admission sits at the heart of a claim brought by Ryan Dudfield, a former Starlizard Consulting employee, who says he helped introduce Cottrell to Bloom’s operation in February 2022 and was promised a slice of the profits generated from the arrangement.

How the Profit Split Worked and Why It’s Now in Court

Bloom’s filing sets out a three-way agreement under which winnings were divided: 60% to Bloom’s syndicate, 33% to Cottrell, and 7% to Dudfield. The same documents state that the bets produced $3.7 million in net winnings between August and December 2022.

Bloom argues Dudfield “cashed out” of the deal in December 2022 and later accepted a £60,000 (about $82,000) “nuisance payment” in July 2023 intended to settle any remaining claims against Bloom. Dudfield is suing for $17.5 million (£13.1 million), disputing that he signed away his entitlement to future profits.

Later Profits, Stake Allegation, and Claims Bloom Disputes

A major flashpoint is what happened after 2022. Bloom’s defence says the syndicate continued placing bets through Cottrell’s accounts until October 2025, generating a further $2.4 million in net winnings but insists Dudfield had no agreement covering that later period and should look to Cottrell, not Bloom, for any money owed.

Dudfield also alleges bets were placed via an account at Stake.com, which Bloom denies, saying the post-2022 betting involved other accounts in Cottrell’s name not Stake and that the broader claims about “secret” frontmen and the scale of the operation are exaggerated. Bloom’s filing confirms the use of multiple third parties for so-called “exotic accounts”, while disputing characterizations of the syndicate as secretive and pushing back on revenue-scale claims. 

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jan/23/billionaire-gambler-tony-bloom-denies-owing-millions-george-cottrell