Ex racehorse owner Haydon Simcock has been sentenced with a 30-week custodial sentence which is suspended for two years. On top of that he has been ordered to pay £290,154 after admitting his role in running the illegal bookmaker known as The Post. The 40-year-old appeared before Birmingham Magistrates Court on Monday 8th December 2025, having previously pleaded guilty to providing unlawful gambling services and also advertising illegal betting between May 2023 and September 2024.
Simcock was exposed back in February 2024 following an undercover Racing Post investigation, during which he claimed The Post had around 1,000 clients. In this vast number of clients were racehorse owners, trainers and racing managers. Among those who used “The Post” was also a former owner named Mark Dunphy who lost £270,000 when the bookmaker collapsed. In a statement read to the court, Dunphy described suffering two heart attacks due to the stress and said the situation had “destroyed everything” in his life.
A former syndicate boss and registered owner, Simcock worked as the commercial VIP manager for betting service “The Post”. Prosecutors had proof that he played a “significant role” in recruiting new customers and facilitating bets, which were placed by sending screenshots of odds from major licensed bookmakers through WhatsApp. Prosecutor Sam Stein KC said Simcock’s involvement was purely motivated by the desire for financial gain.
The court also heard that the supposed owner of The Post was a man known as David Lyons but his real identity remains unknown to authorities. The UK Gambling Commission has been unable to locate him since the operation was exposed. The messages presented in court showed the organisation’s willingness to accept money from unknown sources. In one exchange, Simcock informed Lyons that a customer “sells watches and probably drugs.” In another message Lyons suggested threatening a dissatisfied customer by “contacting an old Albanian friend” to make the person “disappear.”
Despite the Racing Post exposé, Simcock continued telling clients that The Post remained a selective, members-only betting service. Meanwhile, Dunphy, who had deposited £240,000 across late 2023 and managed to briefly increase his betting account balance to £280,000 struggled to withdraw his money. After reporting the discrepancy to his bank as fraud, he later accepted £10,000 from Simcock personally and withdrew his complaint based on promises that the remainder of the money would be returned. That remainder was never paid.
In mitigation, barrister Emily Andrew who was representing Simcock said he had only acted under Lyons’ instruction and had stopped bringing in new customers once the illegal activity was publicised in the Racing Post. She added that he felt genuine remorse for Dunphy’s losses and had removed himself entirely from the racing and gambling circles.
However, the sentencing chair told Simcock: “You have shown a complete disregard for the law and caused significant harm to others. You have narrowly avoided an immediate custodial sentence.”
On top of the suspended sentence given out, Simcock must complete 200 hours of unpaid work, 20 rehabilitation days and repay restitution and costs. He will pay £300 per month which is the maximum he said he could afford with the expectation this amount will increase if his circumstances improve further down the line.
Following the hearing, Simcock declined to comment.
Gambling Commission enforcement director John Pierce said the case highlights the dangers of illegal gambling which include links to crime, exploitative practices and the absence of basic consumer protections. He stressed that using platforms like WhatsApp does not hide criminal activity from regulators and that the Commission will continue pursuing operators who don’t hold a legal bookmaking license.
Our opinion on the matter is that the dangers of betting with unlicensed betting platforms are clear to see. The fact debts were met with threats shows the impact of people’s physical and mental health. Although Simcock claims he was under someone else’s direction may be true it was proven he played a huge role in the organisation. The biggest failure is the fact that “Lyons” real identity has yet to be found so similar cases can be expected till the individual is put in front of the courts.