16 Facts About Tony Bloom

Tony Bloom is a minority owner of Australian A-League club Melbourne Victory.

Tony Bloom is a sports bettor and poker player, nicknamed "The Lizard".

Tony Bloom appeared in the Late Night Poker television series and has a final table appearance on the World Poker Tour.

Tony Bloom made back-to-back final table appearances in the first two Poker Million events.

Tony Bloom had a fourth-place finish in the 2005 World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions.

Tony Bloom was a member of the winning British team in the Poker Nations Cup.

Tony Bloom fell short of the million-pound grand prize in the Poker Million IX event held in London on 10 December 2010.

Tony Bloom's wealth has been accumulated primarily through proprietary betting on sports events.

Tony Bloom is a longtime Brighton fan and his family has had a long association with the club; his uncle, Ray, is a director and his grandfather, Harry, was vice-chairman during the 1970s.

In June 2013, Tony Bloom appointed Oscar Garcia as the new head coach of the club; Garcia resigned after losing a second successive play-off semi-final to Derby County and left the club in May 2014.

Tony Bloom backed Hughton in the following transfer window, breaking several record transfer fees to improve the squad, readying Brighton's first Premier League season.

On 13 May 2019, immediately after the end of the season, with the club finishing in 17th position and thus securing its top-tier status for the coming season, Tony Bloom released a statement, saying that "it was time for a change", and sacked Hughton, replacing him with Championship's Swansea coach Graham Potter.

In 2018, Tony Bloom completed the takeover of Belgian second division club Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, known as USG.

Tony Bloom was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to association football and to the community in Brighton.

Tony Bloom, who is Jewish, has played a key role in the development of a synagogue and community centre project in Hove.

Tony Bloom became involved when the Brighton and Hove Hebrew Congregation faced financial difficulties, with funding for the project provided by the Bloom Foundation, where he serves as chairman.