English soccer’s governing body, the Football Association (FA), secretly investigated allegations that billionaire Joe Lewis, the former owner of Tottenham Hotspur, may have been involved in betting on soccer games, sources told Bloomberg.
Key Takeaways
- The FA reportedly examined claims that former Tottenham owner Joe Lewis bet on soccer matches.
- The investigation closed after an ownership shift in 2022.
- A separate review of Tottenham’s new board saw one applicant told not to apply over ties to Lewis.
The probe was reportedly launched in 2022 after the FA was alerted to a possible rules violation, centered on claims that Lewis had placed bets at a time when club owners were banned from betting.
The FA ultimately decided no further action was required, and key to that conclusion was Lewis’ transfer of his majority stake in Tottenham to the Lewis Family Trust in October 2022, which meant he was no longer subject to the FA’s rules.
That ownership transition triggered a separate Premier League review of Tottenham’s incoming directors, and the league reportedly advised a potential board member not to apply due to the individual's close relationship with Lewis.
The episode comes as English soccer grapples with the growing influence of gambling, with players such as Ivan Toney receiving lengthy bans for betting offenses. To date, there are no public instances of owners being sanctioned in England.
The FA’s relationship with betting companies is complex. While strict on players, it allows certain senior club figures to maintain betting links, most notably in the cases of Brentford and Brighton, whose owners have ties to the gambling sector.
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Horse racing welcomes reprieve from proposed betting tax hike
British racing has escaped a feared tax rise on horse racing bets after Chancellor Rachel Reeves opted not to increase the 15% rate paid by bookmakers. The relief follows September’s one-day strike, during which four race meetings were abandoned in protest at the potential rise.
However, the budget did include significant increases across other gambling taxes. Remote gaming duty for online casino play will rise from 21% to 40% in April 2026, while online general betting duty is set to climb from 15% to 25% in 2027.
The acting chief executive of the British Horse Racing Authority, Brant Dunshea, welcomed the exemption for racing, calling the sport “a unique national asset,” but warned that increases elsewhere could have “trickle-down effects” as betting firms manage higher costs.
Ahead of the budget, bookmakers cautioned that steeper taxes might force betting shop closures and a decline in levy payments and sponsorships that underpin racing’s finances.
Horse racing, the U.K.’s second-biggest sport, continues to lobby for long-term tax stability, arguing that more tax rises could cost the industry hundreds of millions of pounds and thousands of jobs.
