From childhood, our parents teach us that betting on sports is the fastest way to lose money. But nobody taught that to Tony Bloom. He bet, bet, and kept betting — and now he owns Brighton, Union SG, has a stake in Hearts and is simply a betting legend. Champion tells his story against the backdrop of recent allegations of Tony Bloom’s “match-fixing” via betting on Premier League games.

***

Imagine the son of wealthy, ambitious parents.

Got it?

Well, it was his grandfather who evacuated the family from London during World War II to protect them from the bombings, and settled so comfortably in Brighton that he never returned.

The business flourished, and in 1970 Harry Bloom even joined the board of directors of Brighton & Hove Albion FC, sometimes taking his favourite grandson Tony with him — although, as The Athletic recalls, the boy was drawn elsewhere:

“The slot machines were on West Street. My friends and I used to run there when we were 8 or 9 years old. We blew our pocket money.”

The family didn’t scold him too much — grandfather himself loved a flutter:

“He kept greyhounds and, like 99 % of people, mostly lost money. But his losses were always controlled.”

Gambling instinct + ice-cold composure — a powerful cocktail.

Add to that a natural gift for mathematics that still amazes Roger Saunders, former headmaster of St Christopher’s School:

“He had good academic abilities overall, but his mathematics stood out. It was extraordinary. He was incredibly sharp and quick.”

***

Now imagine a student so brilliant that people were talking about an academic career and even a Fields Medal.

Bloom, however, wasn’t interested.

He got a mathematics degree from the University of Manchester, then went to work as a consultant at Ernst & Young. The world of big money called, and a mathematical gift gave him an edge.

In 1993 Tony quit auditing and went freelance — as a trader in the City of London.

At the same time he began betting professionally on football and cricket.

“I believe in aggressive betting. Sometimes to win big you have to risk losing big,” Bloom said the day he lost £5,000 in a single day.

There were many more winning days.

Bookmaker Victor Chandler noticed him and recruited him to conquer new markets — above all the Far East, which at the time was still terra incognita:

“I lived 7 months in Thailand and 3 years in Gibraltar. I was one of the first outside Asia who showed interest in and understanding of Asian handicap.”

And then came the 1998 World Cup.

“The whole Bloom myth is built on that tournament. He convinced the boss to put all available cash on France to win the final. Chandler’s made millions,” an anonymous friend told Business Insider.

Bloom’s business is one where nobody talks too much. Only the most respected outlets manage to dig anything up, and even they quote only anonymous sources.

***

Now imagine an amateur poker player who casually dismantles professionals for fun.

$3.3 million in live earnings in just a couple of years!

PokerNews.com ranks Bloom 15th on the all-time UK live money list. The other 14 are full-time pros.

His table manner earned him the nickname “The Lizard”.

He loves it.

“Tony is a poker phenomenon. If you divide his cashes by the number of tournaments played, the quiet, unassuming Lizard would be the biggest winner in the world,” The Guardian wrote in 2010.

At the same time Bloom was building other businesses — he launched bookmaker Premier Bet and two online poker sites, Tribeca Tables and St Minver. Nobody knows exactly how much he sold them for once they were successful.

Everything is secret.

When in 2009 Bloom bought Brighton for £80 m, The Telegraph described him as a “property investor” and mentioned poker. Not a word about his main baby — Starlizard, founded in 2006.

***

Imagine a company that from the inside looks like an investment bank or hedge fund, but actually exists to beat the bookmakers.

Hard to picture, because the very idea of beating the bookie at his own game sounds idiotic.

Every bookmaker has armies of professionals and builds a 5–20 % margin into every line. Ordinary punters’ losses are essentially a tax on not understanding probability.

Bloom, however, is no ordinary punter.

He invented a secret algorithm that finds the soft spots in bookmakers’ lines and bets there.

Starlizard employs 160 people just in the Camden head office. They are split into 4 departments; only Bloom and two deputies see the whole picture.

Department 1 gathers data — statistics, match watching, a network of insiders close-to-clubs insiders.

“We took into account every aspect you can imagine. Weather, morale; anyone connected to the club. We analysed them under a microscope. It was impressive,” says another anonymous ex-employee.

All data goes into a single database where “quants” (second department) build and constantly update the algorithm that weights every variable.

When the odds are generated, the most experienced bettors led by Bloom himself (third department) filter out the borderline ones.

Fourth department places the bets — we’re talking millions of pounds from investors who don’t want to be seen. It takes real skill to place that volume without raising alarms.

***

And imagine this has been working profitably for almost 20 years.

“They don’t beat the market every time, but they do it enough times,” insiders say.

For the best staff Bloom spares no expense — gourmet catering, yacht holidays, VIP boxes at every Premier League stadium.

Only two requirements: secrecy and results.

Top performers can earn £100 k a month structured as “winnings” (tax-free).

Bloom’s personal fortune was recently estimated at £1.3 bn, but that number is pure guesswork.

Nobody really knows what happens behind Starlizard’s walls.

Or prefers not to know.

Bloom places money for all kinds of people. A Lord? A Colombian drug baron? Even a sitting US president? Quite possible.

***

And imagine Bloom’s success didn’t stop at betting.

His 2009 takeover of Brighton began an era — new 31,000-seat Falmer stadium, promotion to the Premier League in 2017, European football in 2023.

The cornerstone is finding talented players nobody else sees.

Bloom created Jamestown Analytics — a hidden data system that measures contextual performance rather than raw goals/assists.

“It would have been very hard without it,” Bloom admits. “We have great analytics. Our player valuation model covers an enormous number of leagues worldwide — that breadth gives us a huge edge. The model is organic, not static. We’ve significantly improved it in the last 5–6 years because many clubs now use analytics too.”

Examples? Moisés Caicedo bought for £4.5 m → sold for £115 m. Alexis Mac Allister £8 m → £42 m. Marc Cucurella £18 m → £65 m.

Javier Tebas says the Premier League is loss-making? Maybe, but not Brighton. In 2025 alone they made a net €66 m on transfers while sitting 8th in the table.

***

And even that wasn’t enough for Bloom.

In 2018 he bought second-division Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise and in 2025 won the Belgian league with them.

In summer 2025 he took 29 % of Hearts for £9.8 m and let them use Jamestown Analytics — the team that was losing to everyone in spring is now top of the Scottish Premiership ahead of Rangers and Celtic.

“I’m an optimist. I wanted to excite the staff and fans of Hearts; to shake the club and make sure they really do have the ambition I believe they should have,” Bloom says, already sounding like a wizard.

The only blemish is Melbourne Victory (≈10 % stake) sitting bottom of the A-League.

Modest, taciturn, travels by regular trains in a coat and shoulder bag, Brighton cap on his head — he could be any neighbour in the stands.

Yet he is the living embodiment of moneyball.

Or was, until very recently.

***

Imagine that in November Bloom’s empire was shaken.

He doesn’t pay top people millions just out of generosity — it’s insurance so friends don’t become enemies.

But greed sometimes wins.

One Ryan Dudfield is suing Bloom, claiming he is owed £17.5 m.

The lawsuit itself isn’t scary — Bloom has elite lawyers. What is scary is that Dudfield revealed Starlizard makes £600 m profit a year (the press thought max £150 m) and places bets via “tame” politician George Cottrell.

Cottrell is a close ally of Brexit mastermind and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.

“I witnessed Mr Cottrell’s gambling habits, including a £250,000 bet on third-tier Cambridge United, and I realised he lost often. That’s how I introduced him to the syndicate,” Dudfield says.

According to him, Starlizard had an arrangement with Cottrell: the syndicate places the money, Cottrell gets 30 % of the winnings.

And allegedly Bloom has plenty of such politicians “in his pocket”.

The point is that Bloom himself cannot place £2 m on a single match without every bookmaker noticing. Affiliated accounts are known too.

So Starlizard looks for “whales” — rich compulsive gamblers who bet big and lose often. They don’t attract attention and are easy to “buy” — just give them a share of the winnings.

Is it legal? Borderline.

What is really bad for Bloom is The Guardian article claiming Mr Cottrell “won” £70 m betting on… Brighton matches.

“All allegations are categorically false.

I can assure our supporters that I have not placed any bets on Brighton & Hove Albion matches since becoming owner in 2009.

I have always fully complied with these rules and all my football bets are annually audited by one of the world’s leading accounting firms to ensure full compliance with FA policy.”

Fair enough — but did that “leading accounting firm” check Mr Cottrell’s bets on Brighton?

Bloom somehow forgot to mention Cottrell at all.

***

So imagine that Bloom has now banned Guardian reporters from the Amex Stadium.

“This is an alarming development. The issues raised in our reporting are clearly in the public interest and have been handled responsibly,” the newspaper responded.

The regulator is silent.

The Premier League stayed silent even when Chelsea owner Todd Boehly sold the women’s team to himself and booked it as profit. Why would they go after Bloom and his “whales”? Half the league’s owners are American anyway, and Tony is “one of us” — a third-generation fan.

Will Dudfield win the lawsuit? Unlikely. He himself admits he personally knew maybe ten Starlizard colleagues. Bloom’s syndicate is like a legal mafia — nobody except the boss knows the full scale.

Mathematical genius, yes.

Also an official billionaire, philanthropist, Member of the Order of the British Empire, the most successful gambler of the 21st century and beloved shareholder of three clubs in three different countries.

They said he could have won the Fields Medal.

Well, Bloom chose a different, far more dangerous life — and imagine! — that bet is going in too.

By Roman Synchuk, champion.com.ua