Stoke Man Charged with Running Illegal Horse Racing Betting Firm
UK regulator the Gambling Commission (UKGC) has confirmed that a man has been charged with providing facilities for gambling and advertising unlicensed gambling.
A man from Stoke-on-Trent has been charged with running an illegal gambling operation. © Ramdlon, Pixabay
Key Facts:
- Haydon Simcock, of Weston Coyney in Stoke, was charged
- The 39-year-old man is accused of running an illegal operation
- Charge follows an investigation that was carried out by UKGC
- Simcock had given an interview speaking about taking bets
Haydon Simcock, a 39-year-old man from Weston Coyney in Stoke-on-Trent, is accused of providing facilities for gambling to consumers without holding an operating licence.
The period in question runs from 18 October 2023 to 11 September 2024, with Simcock also charged with advertising those facilities between 26 May 2023 and 1 March 2024.
Simcock had been arrested in September 2024 as part of an investigation that was led by the Gambling Commission and supported by Staffordshire Police.
He is due to appear in Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on 24 March regarding the allegations.
Undercover Interview
Simcock seemingly gave an insight into his business practices in an undercover interview last year with the Racing Post, who quoted a man with his name who claimed to be working for an illegal UK-based horse racing bookmaker.
The Post Bookmakers, as the company was known, was said to take bets via WhatsApp. The Gambling Commission has confirmed no such business has a license to operate in the UK.
Simcock claimed to be the bookmaker’s commercial manager and told the Racing Post that the company had 1,300 customers. The Post Bookmakers was said to employ ten people, and Simcock said the firm had been expecting a “ridiculously busy” Cheltenham Festival meeting – the highlight of the UK’s horse racing calendar.
Simcock said the company offered a matched deposit bonus for new customers, telling the reporter – who was posing as a prospective user – they could get a free bet balance of £2,000 if they were willing to deposit £2,000 of their own money.
Affordability Checks
Simcock gave his views on why horse racing fans were choosing to place their bets with an unlicensed betting company.
He said: “We’re offering matched deposits to all our existing customers as well with the festival coming up, just so we’re not getting dragged down with people putting money in during the festival when we’re really busy. We would rather people load up, have money in your accounts and then you’re free to go and do whatever you want.”
“A lot of our customers at the moment are owners and trainers and racing managers within horse racing, ultimately because everyone is struggling to get on and people don’t want to provide bank statements and affordability checks.”
Simcock has been a racehorse owner himself, with the Racing Post finding he has owned five horses in Britain since 2018, some of which were through the Dark Horse Partnership syndicate.
He claimed to have been working for The Post Bookmakers for eight months, saying he was a previous customer and telling the outlet it had been trading since 2017.
The Post Bookmakers also uses a logo that is strongly similar to the Racing Post brand.UKGC is currently cracking down on other illegal betting operations within the UK.
