Who is Tony Bloom: How Hearts investor made fortune, estimated net worth and why the Lizard has picked Jambos

Tony Bloom is the man on Hearts fans lips at the moment as the Brighton chairman plots inroads into Scottish football.

It’s been confirmed by the Tynecastle club that the UK entrepreneur has made a proposal to invest capital of £9.86m into Hearts. In return, he will receive a 29% stake in the club via non-voting shares and a consultation period with the club’s majority shareholders – the Foundation of Hearts - will begin.

With Brighton and another club Bloom has invested in, Belgian side Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, enjoying success since he got involved, it’s got fans in Gorgie buzzing at the thought of what he could do in Scotland. But who is this new investors and why does he want to invest in Hearts? We take a look.

Who is Tony Bloom?

Aged 55 and nicknamed ‘The Lizard’, Bloom is an English sports bettor, poker player, and entrepreneur. He is the majority owner and chairman of Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion, and investor and minority shareholder in Belgian First Division A team Royale Union Saint-Gilloise. Australian A-League club Melbourne Victory are another club he has a minority ownership in. Bloom is from Brighton and has appeared in the Late Night Poker television series. He has made a final table appearance on the World Poker Tour and had back-to-back final table appearances in the first two Poker Million events.

How did Tony Bloom make his fortune?

In the main, Bloom’s wealth has been accumulated through proprietary betting on sports events. After graduating in maths from the University of Manchester, he became a trader but soon found out he was a dab hand at playing poker plus betting on sports and horse racing. He ditched his job in the early 90s and became a professional gambler, gaining the ‘Lizard’ nickname for his calmness and cold blooded nature at the poker table.

Alongside his interests in football, Bloom runs a betting consultancy firm named Starlizard. Reportedly, it’s a company that generates £100 million every year by looking after clients who have a minimum betting budget of £2 million. Bloom also owns Jamestown Analytics, described by The Times as "the most cutting-edge data company in football and who Hearts have already signed a deal with. It’s kept under an extremely low profile and their methods are never discussed in any great detail. Jamestown Analytics was founded in 2017 as an offshoot of Starlizard and up until 2023, Starlizard provided data directly to Brighton and Union Saint-Gilloise. Starlizard have decided to focus on "core activities" and stopped working directly with clubs and since then, the Jamestown company has started to move outside of Bloom-affiliated teams. Como in Italy, for example, are one team who use Jamestown Analytics.

What is Tony Bloom’s net worth?

Business Matters have stated that Bloom now has a net worth of £1.3b. Bloom has had interest in horse racing in years past and has turned that into racehorse ownership over the years. Champion trainer Willie Mullins has been with two of his standout horses, Energumene and Ile Atlantique. Energumene won the Champion Chase double-header at the Cheltenham and Punchestown Festivals in 2023 and that was worth more than £300k in prize money alone.

When it comes to football, In 2009, he became Brighton chairman. Bloom succeeded Dick Knight after securing a 75% shareholding in the club he is a supporter. There was around £93 million plunged into the development of the club's new ground, known as AMEX Stadium today. Now a solidified Premier League club, Brighton announced a record profit of £122.8m in the 2022-23 financial year. This is in part to their savvy ways in the market, with Yves Bissouma, Marc Cucurella, Leandro Trossard and Alexis Mac Allister leading to a profit of £121.4m in transfers.

Why does Tony Bloom want to invest in Hearts

A big question on the lips. In a Q&A released by the Foundation of Hearts, they state: “This opportunity has not come around by accident. Tony Bloom has done his due diligence (as has the club) and he has recognised both the importance of Heart of Midlothian Football Club and its significant potential. His past and ongoing successes with Brighton & Hove Albion in England and Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium are there for all to see, and with Hearts, he sees the chance to play a part in another success story. He believes Hearts can disrupt Scottish football, and he wants to be a part of a new glorious chapter in Hearts’ history.

“Tony will be entitled to appoint a representative to be a director on the club’s board but will not appoint himself as a director. As such, he will not be involved in the day-to-day running of the club. It goes without saying, however, that having the benefit of Tony’s experience, and the football and business world related experience of those around him, available to the club will be invaluable.”