A High Court document alleges that George Cottrell, a close associate of Nigel Farage and a key figure in Reform UK’s inner circle, acted as a front for a major gambling syndicate who was “given control” of their betting accounts.
Cottrell worked as a stalking horse for a syndicate linked to Tony Bloom, one of the world’s most successful gamblers, it is claimed in public documents filed in the High Court.
Bloom, a billionaire, is the majority shareholder and chairman of Brighton & Hove Albion football club and has made his fortune from gambling.
It is claimed that he is known by the nickname “The Lizard” in the gambling industry and used a “whale” or frontman to assist in gambling enterprises.
The details are given in a 19-page document filed in the High Court as part of an active dispute between Bloom and a former associate of his, Ryan Dudfield, whose lawyers claim he is owed a share of gambling profits estimated in the region of $250m (£189m).
The document alleges that the group known as the Starlizard Betting Syndicate launders winnings of around £600 million each year.
It makes its money through bets, which are sometimes placed into the accounts of leading people, including “football players, sportsmen and businessmen”, it is claimed.
The document alleges that these accounts were referred to as “secret offshore accounts” and were operated “in a secret manner” from satellite offices in Canary Wharf, London.
Highly successful gamblers often actually find themselves turned away from betting sites due to the scale and frequency of the bets they place. This means that “whales” are often positioned to place bets on their behalf. As a man known for high-stakes betting, Cottrell’s profile is that of a “whale”.
“Cottrell was not a particularly successful gambler and frequently lost large sums of money,” the documents allege. It is claimed that this is why the claimant, who describes himself as an “introducer”, put Cottrell in touch with Bloom’s syndicate.
The document alleges that substantial profits were made by Bloom and other members of the Starlizard betting syndicate “by using online betting accounts held in the name of a person called Mr George Cottrell to place bets on sporting events, primarily football matches”.
The newspaper claims that “Mr. Cottrell had given over control of his betting accounts to Mr. Bloom and the syndicate, so that it would not be necessary for Mr. Cottrell to send bets to be placed.”
The document mentions Cottrell’s 2017 conviction for wire fraud, for which he spent several months in a US prison.
According to the papers, an agreement was reached between Bloom, the syndicate and Cottrell that benefited all parties. Cottrell received 33% of any wins, but this appears to have covered any of his losses.
It is alleged that the loss suffered by the person whose account was used to place the bets was generally borne by Bloom or his syndicate and therefore the person received his share of the winnings “risk free”.
The documents allege that the bets were placed using online gambling accounts held by Cottrell with Stake.com, an offshore casino where users transact in cryptocurrencies.
According to the filing, Cottrell also attempted to obtain English and Welsh customers from Dudfield for an offshore gambling site, Tether.bet, despite the firm not having a UK gambling license.
It is alleged that the agreement between the syndicate and Cottrell included that the syndicate would “cease placing its bets through gambling platforms in which Mr Cottrell had a financial interest, such as Tether.bet”.
Lawyers acting for Cottrell previously told the Guardian that he was not a director, shareholder or stakeholder in Tether.bet and had “no involvement” in any company that uses the cryptocurrency.
According to the document, Cottrell indicated “a willingness to proceed” with the agreement that betting accounts in his name could be used by Bloom in February 2022, while at Daphne’s restaurant in west London, with his ex-girlfriend Georgia Toffolo.
Starlizard Consulting was originally owned by Blue Lizard Consulting, of which Bloom is the majority shareholder. According to court documents, it provided services to Bloom and others to “facilitate the operation of Mr. Bloom’s private betting syndicate.”
The syndicate’s total winnings are unknown.
Dudfield claims he may be owed $17.5 million due to a profit-share arrangement, in which he says he was entitled to receive 7% of the winnings.
The exact membership of the syndicate is also unclear, but Starlizard Consulting employees were given various levels of entry into it as part of their compensation, the document alleges.
He claims that one of Cottrell and Bloom’s key associates, Ian McLeavy, continued the syndicate arrangement even after Dudfield was told it was no longer working.
“The Claimant was informed … that access to Mr Cottrell’s betting accounts had been discontinued by the Syndicate,” the documents allege.
“In fact both Mr McLeavy and Mr Cottrell knew that the syndicate was continuing to use Mr Cottrell’s betting accounts and they both knew that the bets that were being placed and were to be placed could result in very significant profits being made,” the documents claim.
Dudfield claims that he has learned of betting activity which suggests it is going on and so he is demanding his share of the profits from it, alleging that she lied to him about shutting it down.
Lawyers acting for Cottrell were contacted for comment. Bloom was contacted for comment via Brighton & Hove Albion FC.
Bloom has not yet filed a defense to the claim.
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