A Midlands man who ran an illegal gambling business and failed to pay a customer’s near-£270,000 account balance has avoided jail.

Former racehorse owner Haydon Simcock, from Staffordshire , held the position of commercial manager for The Post Bookmakers, an unregulated firm taking bets via WhatsApp, reports StokeonTrentLive.

The 40-year-old's involvement was uncovered by an undercover investigation by the Racing Post in February last year.

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Records recovered from Simcock’s electronic devices showed he took bets from people he suspected of dealing drugs, suggested he could make a disgruntled customer ‘disappear’ and failed to

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