George Cottrell, a key member of Reform UK, has been accused of association with a major gambling syndicate. According to claims filed at a high court, the man served as the syndicate’s frontman.
The Syndicate Placed Bets on Behalf of Successful Gamblers
According to the allegations, Cottrell was associated with a syndicate that also involved billionaire Tony Bloom, a prominent gambling businessman also known as “The Lizard.” Bloom is said to have leveraged frontmen to expand his gaming business. The documents say that Cottrell, who is a close associate of Nigel Farage, was one such person.
Starlizard Betting Syndicate is a multi-million-pound gaming syndicate that makes bets placed on the accounts of frontmen. According to a report by The Guardian, the document referred to these accounts as “secret exotic accounts,” with frontmen often including famous athletes and businessmen. The accounts in question were operated secretly from satellite offices in Canary Wharf, according to the document.
The report clarified that frontmen would often place bets on behalf of clients who were often successful gamblers. This scheme sought to circumvent restrictions that highly successful gamblers usually face.
Cottrell Received a Cut of All Winnings
According to the court document, Cottrell, despite not being a very successful gambler himself, was eventually initiated into the Starlizard Betting Syndicate and given the role of frontman or “whale.” In this position, he allowed others to place a variety of wagers, mainly soccer bets, using his accounts. The majority of these wagers were placed with online crypto gaming giant Stake.com.
The allegations further state that Cottrell sought clients for a separate gaming platform called Tether.bet across England and Wales. According to spokespeople for Cottrell, however, the man was not a shareholder in Tether.bet despite claims on the contrary.
In return for his services, Cottrell allegedly received a 33% share of the profits, the document asserted. However, he was not accountable for the losses of his clients, making this a lucrative and risk-free opportunity.
According to the allegations, Cottrell’s account is no longer being used by the syndicate.