The world of professional gambling is secretive by design.

Successful punters find an edge wherever possible and seldom show their hand to rivals when they spot an opportunity to make a killing.

It is even rarer that the outside world gets the chance to penetrate the code of silence that governs this niche cadre of high-rollers.

That is why a court document, reported on Tuesday by the Guardian , is so unusual, in that it drags a dispute from a very private world into the public spotlight.

According to the filing, George Cottrell, a close associate of Nigel Farage and a key figure in Reform UK’s inner circle, effectively acted as a front for a major gambling syndicate controlled by Tony Bloom, the former professional poker player who owns Brighton and Hove Albion football club, by han

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