Bettors’ Rights, Bookmaker Disputes & the Legal Risks of Multi-Accounting with Harry Stewart-Moore

Returning guest Harry Stewart-Moore, betting lawyer and partner at Gardner Leader, answers listener questions and pulls back the curtain on the toughest legal issues facing bettors in 2025.

MULTI ACCOUNTING CHAT

• What you really need to know about multi-accounting, runners, and 'beards'
  Why these tactics are under growing scrutiny in the UK, where the legal boundaries sit, and how some bettors are being pulled into cases they never saw coming.
• Why civil forfeiture cases under the Proceeds of Crime Act are quietly becoming a big issue
  How funds can be frozen and seized under POCA, what typically triggers these actions, and the steps bettors must take to recover their money.

BETTING DISPUTES

• Why fewer disputes are reaching court even as complaints surge
  The practical hurdles punters face when trying to litigate against bookmakers.
• Why overseas firms are so hard to pursue and the loophole that needs closing
  The service-of-process gap that lets some operators stay beyond reach.
• ID requests, document checks, and withdrawal blocks
  Why guidance remains unclear, leading to repeated standoffs.
• What happens to withheld funds during a stalemate and the 5 percent account-maintenance fee
  The real-world impact on customers when neither side will budge.

MONITORING, OMBUDSMAN & BLACK MARKET

• The realities of betting-shop compliance
  How shop punters are tracked and the thresholds that trigger additional checks.
• Will the proposed ombudsman deliver genuine change or simply mirror IBAS?
  Harry weighs up the likely scope and limitations of the new body.
• How a lack of industry solutions is pushing sharp punters toward the black market
  Why better options are urgently needed before the problem grows.
• Harry’s solutions to fix racing
  His straight-talking ideas to protect the sport’s integrity and keep savvy bettors engaged.
• The need for a campaign to warn unsuspecting users of black-market dangers
  Education as the first line of defence against shady operators.
• Why Harry believes the black market poses an existential threat to legal gambling
• As trust erodes and more money flows outside the regulated space, the long-term health of the licensed betting industry is at risk.

Harry also explains why “being in the right” often is not enough when challenging a bookmaker, especially when rules are vague and the firm sits offshore.

Discover More:

• Learn more on the Smart Betting Club and how we help winning bettors at https://smartbettingclub.com/ 
• Harry Stewart-Moore at Gardner Leader 
• Harry's email: [e-mail]
• Harry on Twitter
• Podcast feedback - contact SBC on twitter