CHELTENHAM Festival has returned to our screens this week with all the riders gunning for glory.
One man who will have his keen eye on the races is Tony Bloom, who has previously been nicknamed the ‘Godfather of Gambling‘.
GettyTony Bloom celebrated Brighton’s promotion to the Premier League in 2017[/caption]
Bloom’s favoured horse Energumene aims to win another Champion Chase this week at Prestbury Park.
But what else do we know about Bloom and his massive fortune?
Who is Tony Bloom, how did he make his money?
Bloom is best known as the owner of Brighton & Hove Albion, which he acquired in 2009, taking a 75 per cent share.
Tony was born Anthony Grant Bloom on March 20, 1970 and is an English sports bettor, poker player, and entrepreneur.
It was as a gambler where Bloom’s money-making began.
As a youngster, Bloom would use fake IDs to enter bookies and place bets, but he would also frequent at amusement arcades.
Eventually, Bloom manoeuvred himself into the world of professional poker, where he would end up winning a reported £2million.
“Poker gives you a good grounding in lots of things, including reading situations and reading people and making tough decisions,” Bloom has said about his time playing poker.
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“Poker used to be late nights, people in dimly lit rooms smoking and drinking. And though that still happens a little bit, it’s become a lot more mainstream.”
Bloom went on to start his own betting consultancy firm called Starlizard, which turns over around £100million per year.
Now worth a huge £1.3billion, Bloom has invested hundreds of millions into Brighton, funding their promotion to the Premier League and their hunt for European football.
Bloom’s horse Energumene is trained by Willie Mullins, and could be another big win for the 52-year-old this week.
Away from his usual job, Bloom has contributed significantly to the development of a synagogue and community centre project in Hove.
He stepped in when the Brighton and Hove Hebrew Congregation was suffering financial problems, and the funding for the development comes from his Bloom Foundation, of which he is the chairman
Bloom is married to his Australian wife Linda, with the pair often spending a lot of their time down under.
The couple met in 2006, married 18 months later and have two children, Joshua and Ella.
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