A high-profile betting tipster from Drogheda has deleted all references to his promotion of a gambling service that claims to be regulated by a small African island and is not licensed in Ireland.
The messages were deleted this week after The Irish Times asked Rob Heneghan’s solicitor about the promotion of what is an unregulated sportsbook in Irish law.
In January and February, Heneghan, who runs Pro Sports Advice Ltd, sent at least six messages to the followers of his Telegram groups to promote betting with Gambana, an offshore gambling site that is not licensed in Ireland.
Among the posts that Heneghan sent was one encouraging followers to deposit $1,000 with Gambana for “good risk management” and so they could avail of a deposit bonus.
Heneghan has over one million followers through his Instagram and TikTok accounts where his videos show him on a yacht, private planes and helicopters as he promotes his paid betting service.
He charges between €19 to €149 a month for his tipping services but customers can also pay €3,999 for a “platinum lifetime” membership.
Heneghan’s videos of him placing large cash bets at Cheltenham with darts players Luke Littler and Luke Humphries have generated millions of views on social media in recent weeks. He claims to be the “most-followed horse racing pundit in the world”.
In March, Heneghan obtained a High Court injunction against Cork-based online racing pundit Gearoid Norris to prevent him repeating an allegation that Heneghan phoned him to make a death threat. Heneghan denies making the threat and is suing Norris, who goes by the online name Icy, for defamation. Among the articles Norris wrote about Heneghan were ones questioning his promotion of Gambana.
The Gambana website is owned by Jjam Holdings Ltd, a Belize-based company. It claims to be registered by “the government of Anjouan”.
Anjouan, also known as Nzwani, is part of the Comoros Islands situated between Madagascar and Mozambique.
There has been an explosion in online gambling sites moving registrations to Anjouan since 2023 when other territories, including Curacao in the Caribbean, signalled a tightening of regulations.
More than 800 gambling licences have been granted by the Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority (AOFA), an entity created in 2005 when Anjouan had declared independence from the Comoros Islands. Anjouan has since rejoined the Comoros and the AOFA was stripped of its powers.
The Central Bank of Comoros said in 2023 that several of the supposed regulators in Anjouan, where the population is under 300,000, were “fictitious structures”.
Steve Menary, who has published research on offshore gambling regulation with the University of Bristol, said: “Anjouan has little to no protection for bettors or in terms of money laundering, Know Your Customer, or ensuring licensees report suspicious bets that could indicate a game is fixed.”
The last filed accounts for Pro Sports Advice Ltd, where Heneghan has 100 per cent of the shares, show accumulated profits of €1.14 million at the end of 2023.
A note from the Companies Registration Office said the company has three outstanding documents that must be filed. Accounts for 2024 were filed but later withdrawn. The withdrawn accounts showed retained earnings had grown to €1.94 million at the end of 2024. Directors’ pay had grown from €28,472 to €443,808. Heneghan is a director of the company with Emmet Connor, with both men giving the same address in Drogheda.
Heneghan’s solicitor issued responses to questions about his promotion of Gambana.
The response said Pro Sports Advice Ltd is a “subscription-based information service provider”.
“It provides betting insights, opinions and analysis to members, similar to the services provided by the Racing Post. Pro Sports Advice does not operate any betting platform, does not accept bets, and does not handle any client funds. Subscribers are free to use the information posted however they wish.”
Asked about Gambana accepting bets from Ireland, a spokesman for the new Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) said operating without a betting license is unlawful and can be punished by up to eight years imprisonment.
“The seriousness of that offence reflects the dangers associated with the black market,” it said. “The Act empowers the GRAI to apply to the High Court for an order directing that a person advertising prohibited gambling activity ceases to do so. The GRAI can also apply for orders to block access to providers of prohibited gambling activity, as well as orders to block payments to payment providers.”
The GRAI said it will seek to raise education and awareness about the dangers of using unlicensed gambling companies and lodging money with them.
“We will also work with platforms and our colleagues at Coimisiún na Meán to take action in relation to harmful illegal content, and specifically illegal remote betting sites,” the spokesman said.