UK Investigation Links Offshore Betting Site to Farage Donors

Two businessmen who have provided financial backing to Nigel Farage, leader of the right-wing Reform UK party and a prominent figure in the Brexit campaign, may be connected to offshore iGaming operator Tether.bet, according to an investigation published by The Sunday Times. The operator functioned without a UK gambling license and did not accept ordinary local users, instead serving wealthy British clients through personal managers on encrypted messaging apps, accessible only by invitation from existing players.

According to the report, client funds moved through payment company IFX, linked to crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne, who reportedly gave Farage approximately $6.7 million in undeclared funds in 2024. The investigation names George Cottrell, convicted of fraud in the United States and reported to have covertly funded Farage's security and staff, as a key figure behind Tether.bet. The report states Tether.bet did not request identification documents from VIP players at registration or require deposits, instead deducting stakes from winnings and billing clients directly on losses. Payments also reportedly ran through British company Fispay, operated by Reform UK data protection specialist Mowbray Jackson, with Fispay's transactions processed via IFX.

All named individuals denied wrongdoing: Jackson stated Fispay did not provide gambling services, Cottrell described himself merely as a client, and Harborne's lawyers said he does not manage IFX. The Sunday Times found no evidence Harborne was aware of the operations. Weeks after the investigation's initial publication, Tether.bet abruptly ceased operations on August 12, leaving players only an email option for withdrawals and redirecting them to Philippine operator NNVIP88.