The Football Clubs Owned By Betting Experts
Given its massive global popularity, it is little wonder that other industries are eager to forge strong links with professional football.
The betting sector undoubtedly falls into that category, with numerous firms forging lucrative relationships in the sport since the turn of the century.
The betting industry has successfully navigated new challenges such as leveraging online gaming to attract new customers, as well as learning how to engage with Gen Z in a rapidly evolving cultural environment.
Interest in football from the betting sector has extended to ownership, with several clubs under the control of people connected to the industry.
Read on as we look at some the clubs owned by betting experts, starting with one which is in danger of dropping into League One at the end of the season.
Stoke City
Peter Coates’ takeover of Stoke City for an Icelandic consortium in 2006 was not universally welcomed, but he quickly set about winning the fans over. According to this list of the top 10 betting sites in the UK, his bet365 company is one of the leading brands around, which gave him the means to fund a revolution at the club.
His investment helped Stoke win promotion to the Premier League in 2008 and they subsequently established themselves in the top flight.
However, they were relegated at the end of the 2017/18 season and have never come close to mounting a serious challenge to win their place back.
Coates and his family have continued to support the club financially, but their efforts have failed to deliver anything better than a 14th place finish in the Championship.
An estimated £338 million has been invested into the club since 2006, but that is small change to a family whose collective wealth is around £8.8 billion.
Compliance with Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) has hindered Stoke’s attempts to climb back into the Premier League and left them drifting along aimlessly.
Relegation to League One is now on the cards – an outcome which would be mind-blowing given the resources available to the Coates family.
The club has lobbied for the rules to be changed, arguing that they hinder owners who can afford to fund sustainable on-pitch investment.
Brentford
While Stoke’s link-up with betting experts has not worked out for them, the same cannot be said for Matthew Benham’s involvement with Brentford.
Benham is the founder and owner of Smartodds – a statistical research company for professional gamblers, and owner of the Matchbook betting exchange.
His utilisation of data analytics helped him build up his personal wealth, initially by exploiting opportunities in the Asian betting market.
Benham worked under Tony Bloom, a renowned gambler who also eventually worked his way into football club ownership with Brighton & Hove Albion.
A fallout between the pair resulted in Benham founded Smartodds in 2004, and his success with the firm allowed him to launch sports betting exchange Matchbook seven years later.
Having been a long-standing fan of the club, it was unsurprising when he took advantage of its financial situation to purchase a controlling shareholding in 2012.
Benham used his data-driven methodologies to help Brentford win promotion to the Championship in 2014. They spent seven years in the second tier before climbing into the Premier League.
The Bees have since established themselves in the top flight, despite remaining true to the player development model Benham initially instigated.
His shrewd ownership template is one which many other clubs are keen to follow, but which only a handful have come anywhere close to matching.
Brighton & Hove Albion
When it comes to identifying which club has benefitted most from its links to a betting expert, Brighton stands head and shoulders above the rest.
Bloom made his name as sports bettor, poker player and entrepreneur, before ploughing £80m into the club to help fund a new stadium in 2009.
The club were in League One when Bloom became chairman, but have since climbed into the Premier League and qualified for Europe for the first time in their history.
His love of the club dates back to the 1970s, when his grandfather Harry was a board member. Bloom’s dad Ray also served on the board.
Much like Benham, he successfully leveraged Asian handicap betting to his advantage while his exploits on the global poker scene earned him millions.
He built up his fortune with shrewd sales of gaming platforms and other investments, which allowed him to pursue his dream of owning Brighton.
Bloom implemented a player trading model at the Amex Stadium, which has allowed the club to generate massive income in the transfer market.
By sensibly reinvesting some of the funds generated, Bloom has been able to cement Brighton’s status in the top half of the Premier League.
They are on course to qualify for Europe for the second successive season, which would be a remarkable achievement given the strength of the competition.
