Reports confirmed
The police force for Greater London has confirmed that a 37-year-old man has been arrested in connection to the fall of an £8m ($10.7m) soccer betting syndicate run by Rory Campbell, 37.
fraud by false representation”
Metropolitan Police on Wednesday stated the man was arrested under “suspicion of fraud by false representation relating to a betting syndicate,” with multiple UK news sources linking the arrest to the fall of a betting fund run by Rory, the son of Tony Blair-era Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell.
While the Met stated the suspect was released on bail, it cannot name him for legal reasons.
According to reports, around 50 people who invested between £10,000 ($13,422) and £500,000 ($671,136) each into Campbell’s alleged Ponzi-style scheme have lost their money.
Pressure mounts
News reports in December revealed that disgruntled investors with the syndicate, which bet on English Premier League and other European soccer leagues, had compiled a dossier of their accusations and were threatening to involve the police.
In April, Campbell allegedly assured investors that “everyone will get paid in the summer.” In June, the spin king’s son promised to pay them back in full by July. On July 18, Campbell warned backers they might only receive “in the region of 50%-65%” of their investment.
The final straw came in December, when Campbell’s lawyers reportedly informed investors the fund had collapsed because sports betting operators in Asia hadn’t paid.
Campbell’s stepmother Fiona Millar and his ex-Downing Street communications supremo dad are said to be among the 50 investors to have lost money to the syndicate, which boasted a who’s who of the gambling industry, including a senior official at the British Horseracing Authority and a former executive from The Racing Post.
Final request
According to reports, a senior figure in British horseracing died of cancer before he could recoup the £160,000 ($214,785) he invested. After being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in November 2023, the unnamed victim wrote Campbell in November.
are you just hoping I die before?”
The victim asked: “Are you going to send some money soon or are you just hoping I die before you need to pay up?”
Campbell replied: “Absolutely not and yes very, very soon. All of it.”
