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The chairman of soccer club Brighton & Hove Albion, Tony Bloom, has come under fire in the media this week after a story alleged he was an anonymous gambler behind winnings of $70 million.
On Friday (December 5), The Guardian posted an ‘exclusive’ in which they say the Brighton owner is facing questions over claims he was an anonymous gambler behind major winnings which allegedly included bets on his football teams.
“Bloom – one of the world’s most successful professional gamblers – is claimed to be the ‘John Doe’ referred to in a US legal case that tried to unmask who has benefited from the lucrative winning streak,” the article reads. They also claim that the man faces a separate UK court claim that he allegedly “uses frontmen to place substantial bets for a gambling syndicate he controls.”
The publisher says they approached Bloom who declined to answer whether he was the ‘John Doe’ in the court filing. He denied betting on his teams or competitions that involve them, with a further source closing to him describing the allegations as being “entirely false.”
The syndicate became the focus of public allegations after the co-founder of the online gambling company Rollbit accused it of placing bets on Bloom’s own football teams. The claim was posted on X on November 14 by the co-founder, who goes by the name Razer.
They alleged that the syndicate placed bets on Rollbit through a third party. Since then, others have repeated similar allegations, saying the syndicate bet on teams and competitions connected to Bloom. If true, that would violate FA rules.
Tony Bloom and Brighton release statement denying alleged gambling claims
In a statement issued on behalf of Tony Bloom, by the soccer club, it says: “Following an inaccurate and misleading report in The Guardian earlier this evening, I can categorically assure our supporters that I have not placed bets on any Brighton & Hove Albion matches since becoming the owner of the club in 2009.”
The statement continues to explain the policy introduced by the FA in 2014 which has “quite onerous provisions for owners of football clubs with interests in betting.” It states the policy prevents him from betting on any match or competition that Brighton & Hove Albion is involved in.
“Since 2014, I have always fully complied with these conditions, and all of my bets on football are audited by one of the world’s leading accounting firms on an annual basis to ensure full compliance with The FA’s policy.”
The club is in contact with The Football Association and The Premier League over the matter and The Guardian have further reported that its reporters and photographers have been ‘banned’ from attending matches at the Amex Stadium.
Featured Image: CC2.0 license by The Stadium Guide on Flickr 
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Mortgage applications are one of the only things to remain stagnant across various decades. Everyone knows the pain of applying for a mortgage loan: you spend days, weeks, and sometimes even months going through the process and dealing with complicated terms. You could’ve applied for a mortgage a few decades ago and gone through the same procedure as you would today.
Or would you?
Despite mortgage applications seeming like they never change, a quiet tech revolution is going on behind the scenes to transform the way we apply for mortgages. Powered by fintech and data analysis, we’re starting to see a difference in how things happen – from the moment you obtain a mortgage quote all the way through to approval or denial.
Automation Speeds The Verification Process Along
For years, you had to submit loads of paperwork and official documents to prove things like:

Your income
Place of residency
Age
Credit score

Nowadays, there’s been a dramatic shift in how the verification process happens. Mortgage lenders can call upon software tools with AI systems to verify different things in seconds or minutes, rather than days. Income verification is now easier for mortgage lenders to check because your bank details are stored digitally, or you can upload a payslip that gets scanned and approved.
Credit checks are obviously easier for companies to do, so there’s less waiting around in the early stages of an application. Lenders can quickly and efficiently see if you’re a viable candidate for the mortgage without wasting your time. The same goes for pre-mortgage approvals, too; technology helps mortgage quote sites verify your details and provide more accurate quote options. It allows borrowers to see where they’re lacking before they apply, which can help them improve in the right areas to achieve acceptance when they eventually go for a mortgage.
Fintech Solutions Provide Tailored Answers
Speaking of the pre-mortgage process, this is an element of mortgages that flies under the radar. You always think about the actual process of applying for the loan, but you should consider what goes on before that. As mentioned above, fintech solutions let borrowers identify their key struggle points before getting a mortgage.
To add to that, these solutions deliver more personalization than ever before.
Fintech platforms can take your financial data (after you provide it, of course) and show you what’s genuinely available to someone like you. It can take into account your entire financial health by linking and analyzing your various bank accounts to see if you can get a mortgage – and more importantly – the best types of mortgages for you.
This could help you identify any viable mortgage schemes for someone of your income level, or point you in the right direction for how to improve a future mortgage application. For instance, some of these solutions will look at a person’s financial history and tell them to spend less if they want to afford a mortgage.
Technology like this empowers borrowers to be more in control of the entire mortgage application by learning what they’re capable of borrowing before diving straight in.
AI Gives Borrowers More Clarity
Artificial intelligence is one of the main drivers behind this tech revolution for mortgage applications, and it has multiple uses. You’ll see it in many of the things we’ve spoken about already, but one of the key uses for AI is to give borrowers more clarity.
What does this mean?
In essence, AI tools can serve as advisors to mortgage borrowers, helping them understand jargon and complex aspects of the application. AI breaks things down – either through chatbot assistants or platforms like ChatGPT – so the research part of an application becomes easier.
You’re no longer overwhelmed by financial jargon that makes no sense to you. AI helps you understand everything from mortgage interest rates to other key mortgage-related terms and conditions.
Decisions Happen In Real Time
We spoke about the idea of automation in the first point, and it plays a pivotal role in decision-making as well as verification. When the time comes for lenders to approve a proper mortgage application, the decision can happen within seconds.
Will this be the case 100% of the time? No, but if a mortgage application ticks all the right boxes, the lender’s system can identify this and give the all-clear. Rather than waiting for a week, the buyer gets a decision straight away.
And the same is true for rejections. If the borrower doesn’t tick every box, the system can immediately say the application is denied. It could then trigger an email response to the application telling them of the denial, but also informing them of further information as to why. The lender can then look at why the application was flagged and write back in more detail, letting the borrower work on things for a future application.
It stops everything from happening over weeks and months, so borrowers can get on with their lives. You can imagine the importance of a swift approval when buying a house – it can be the difference between securing the property or forcing the seller to pick another buyer.
An All-In-One Platform
Perhaps the most impressive feat of this quiet tech revolution is that mortgage applications can happen on one platform. Gone are the days when you have to email multiple people within an organization – you can now apply via a portal and keep all of your information in one place. Lenders let you fill in the right forms, upload any documents for approval, and so on.
Updates happen via the platform too, making the entire application process more synergistic.
The bottom line is that mortgage applications are finally going through a tech overhaul. They’ve felt clunky and outdated for decades, but we’re seeing some key changes that make the experience better for everyone. Applications are easier for mortgage providers to go through and keep track of, while borrowers benefit from the increased speed at which everything happens.
What’s very intriguing about all of this is that it’s merely the beginning. Who knows how advanced mortgage applications will be in the future – or how easy it will be to get the loan you need?
Photo by Jakub Żerdzicki; Unsplash
The post The Quiet Tech Revolution Happening in Your Mortgage Application appeared first on ReadWrite.

The Social Gaming Leadership Alliance (SGLA) has spoken out against a proposed bill in Maine which would see sweepstakes banned.
The bill, if passed, would mean that online sweepstakes games are prohibited and a person that operates or promotes an online sweepstakes game or supports the operation or promotion of these games will be committing a civil violation.
Now, the SGLA Managing Director Sean Ostrow has released the following statement pushing back against the bill:
“Social Plus games are a longstanding online product that tens of thousands of Maine adults currently enjoy. LD 2007 would ban this social games category entirely, stifling innovation and stripping millions of dollars of economic activity from small businesses, advertisers and – ultimately – the state.
“SGLA urges the Legislature to take a more considered, long-term approach to this innovative sector and regulate, rather than senselessly ban, this popular form of free to play, casual entertainment.”
He continued to explain more about the companies in which the alliance partners with: “SGLA partner companies operate fully within Maine’s consumer protection laws and remain committed to working with lawmakers to provide further regulations to protect consumers while delivering millions in annual tax revenues to the state.”
What is the proposed sweepstakes ban bill in Maine?
Under the bill, operating or promoting an online sweepstakes game constitutes “unlawful gambling.” It could result in a fine “of not less than $10,000 and not more than $100,000” or have their license revoked or will be ineligible to receive a license.
It will impact online games or contests that use a dual-currency system of payment and that stimulate casino-style gaming, including, not not limited to slot machines, poker and other table games, lottery games, bingo or sports wagering.
“‘Dual-currency system of 8 payment’ refers to the practice of using more than one system of coins or tokens to facilitate 9 game play and is further defined in the bill,” the summary in the bill explains.
Featured Image: AI-generated via Ideogram
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A total of 46 people in Turkey have been ordered to be detained, some including soccer players, club presidents, and others, with this being the latest in a gambling investigation.
It was in November when Turkish soccer plunged into disarray as 149 referees and assistants were suspended due to alleged betting scandal concerns, with this then widening to include 1,024 active players who were suspended. Some people took to their social media platforms to deny any potential wrongdoings.
This led to second and third-tier leagues being suspended for two weeks, with Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Akin Gurlek being cited by NTV and other media as saying: “We may carry out another operation in the coming days. We want to clean our football, absolutely.
“Whoever was involved in cheating, we are chasing them. There will be club chairmen and club executives in the probes…There may be ties between chairmen and referees, coaches and commentators. We are investigating everything.”
Police in Turkey issue latest update in soccer gambling probe

pic.twitter.com/nt4bREowFZ
— İstanbul Cumhuriyet Başsavcılığı (@istanbulCBS) December 5, 2025

In the latest update, on December 5, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office posted a press release online detailing its latest move. Within the announcement, it explains how at 07:15 on Friday, “a total of 46 suspects were apprehended and detained in accordance with the simultaneous arrest, detention, search and seizure order issued to the Istanbul Police Department…” Although, 35 alleged suspects were identified as being abroad, with efforts ongoing to apprehend them.
While this recent betting scandal is one of the deepest crises in its soccer history, the President Haciosmanoglu (of the Turkish Football Federation) has said: “We are aware that this is a long and difficult path, however, every evening has its morning. The sun will surely rise after the darkness.
“Our duty is to elevate Turkish football to its rightful place and to purge it of all its filth.” He continued, “Football is more than sport, it is unity, pride, and peace.”
Featured Image: AI-generated via Ideogram
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