Illegal Bookmakers Receive Boost Following UK Ruling That Forces Gambler to Pay $1M

(AsiaGameHub) –   Unlicensed bookmakers across the UK received a notable boost last week after a judge ruled that Alan Spence must pay more than $1 million in outstanding debt to David Solomon, even though the 78-year-old Solomon runs his bookmaking operation without a valid license.

Spence had argued that the debts were not legally enforceable because Solomon lacked a gambling license. However, the presiding judge for the case, Stuart Isaacs KC, ultimately ruled in Solomon’s favour.

While Isaacs confirmed that Solomon had been operating as an unlicensed bookmaker, he ruled that this status did not impact the legal enforceability of the debts owed to him, which add up to £841,520.25 ($1.11 million).

Following the ruling, Spence was forced to step down from his post as vice president of the Racehorse Owners Association (ROA). In an official statement, the ROA noted: “While we will not be making any further comments on this case, we wish to publicly record our sincere gratitude to Alan for his commitment and years of service to the ROA.”

Spence still retains his role as Vice President of Chelsea Football Club. The club did not provide any response when contacted for comment on the court ruling.

Murky World of Unlicensed Gambling

Even though clear evidence that Solomon was running an illegal gambling business has emerged, he has not faced any consequences for his activities to date.

Isaacs criticised the opaque, unregulated gambling space in his verdict. He stated that the case “offers a rare look into the unlicensed betting world”, a space that “involved regular deception between the two parties as well as deception of third parties, which neither side appeared to view as legally or even morally problematic at the time.”

Spence first ran up £582,144 (roughly $760,000) in gambling debts through bets placed with Solomon. He then lied about his financial situation, claiming he could not afford to repay the debts and had already reached agreements with creditors for a debt reduction plan. He even went so far as to invent fake meetings with those creditors.

“I shouldn’t have done that, as we had already agreed to a settlement. It was a foolish choice to make. I had no reason to do it, it was completely irrational,” Spence admitted during the court proceedings.

Solomon agreed to write down the total debt to £175,000 ($231,000). The two men also reached a separate agreement for Spence to place wagers on Solomon’s behalf on the online gambling platform Spreadex.

Imaginary Bookie ‘George’ Damages Defence

Instead of placing the bets as he had been instructed, Spence tried to keep the funds Solomon had given him for the wagers. He lied about having placed the bets, then claimed he had started placing them with a different unlicensed bookmaker who went only by the name “George.”

Solomon’s legal team argued that George was another fabrication invented by Spence. Spence’s defence team removed all mentions of George’s involvement from their final closing submissions to the court.

This false account appears to have significantly harmed Spence’s case, as Isaacs commented: “The details about George provided by the defendant are not credible, and in my judgment, were designed to add legitimacy to a story that is entirely made up…Put simply, George did not exist, and I find that the defendant’s testimony about George was untruthful.”

He added that Spence’s “dishonest conduct” means he is “far from innocent for the position he now finds himself in.”

Will Solomon Face Charges?

In his ruling, Isaacs noted that the appropriate response to Solomon running an unlicensed gambling business is not to cancel Spence’s debts, but to pursue criminal prosecution against Solomon.

He observed that Spence is a multi-millionaire, not a vulnerable person who requires legal protection. In a separate case last December, unlicensed bookmaker Haydon Simcock faced criminal prosecution. Simcock had threatened customers and refused to pay out winning wagers. The court ordered him to repay all his outstanding debts and handed him a suspended prison sentence.

In Solomon’s specific case, he has not been accused of intimidating Spence or taking any steps to deceive him into losing money.

“The defendant’s own testimony confirmed that the claimant never applied excessive pressure on him to restart or increase the value of his gambling. He engaged with the claimant fully aware of the circumstances, first suspecting and then knowing for certain that the claimant was not a licensed bookmaker,” Isaacs stated in his ruling.

This finding appears to have cleared Solomon of wrongdoing in this context. He also claims that before he met Spence, he only placed small-stakes bets on behalf of friends and acquaintances. His main line of business is office furniture sales.

UK Sends Mixed Messages on Illegal Gambling

Solomon does not appear to have run a large-scale gambling operation, which may allow him to avoid criminal prosecution. However, this outcome sends conflicting signals about whether running an unlicensed gambling business is acceptable in the UK.

The UK government has stated it is increasing its efforts to stamp out the illegal gambling black market. Gambling Minister Baroness Twycross is leading the government’s Illegal Gambling Taskforce.

As part of its wider efforts to address the issue, the government has launched a public consultation on sponsorship of Premier League football clubs by unlicensed gambling operators. Currently, several gambling firms that are blocked from operating in the UK have sponsorship deals with Premier League teams, including Stake, which sponsors Everton FC.

“This consultation, alongside the ongoing work of our Illegal Gambling Taskforce, shows just how seriously this government is taking this issue. We will not hesitate to take action whenever we see people being put at risk,” Twycross said.

As Isaacs noted, Spence was not a person at risk of harm in this case, but the ruling also clears Solomon of wrongdoing and could encourage other people to continue operating as illegal bookmakers.

“If authorities can’t take any action over a case that operates as openly as this one, it highlights just how difficult a challenge they are facing,” professional gambler Neil Channing said in comments to the Racing Post.