Andrew Black Biography: Age, Net Worth, Investments

Andrew Black is a British founder and investor who set up one of the largest gambling companies in the UK.

Now he is a technology investor, racehorse owner, and continues to play gambling games like bridge professionally.

Profile

• Full Name: Andrew Wilson Black
• Born: 13 May 1963
• Age: 62 years old
• Birthplace: Carshalton, London, England
• Nationality: British
• Occupation: Founder, Angel Investor
• Height: Unknown
• Parents: Unknown
• Siblings: Unknown 
• Net Worth: $650+ million

Early Life and Education

Andrew Black was born on May 13, 1963, in Carshalton, England. He’s the grandson of former Wimbledon MP Sir Cyril Black and went on to attend King’s College School in the area.

There, he showed proficiency in mathematics. He would then go to the University of Exeter, but dropped out in his second year.

Career

Andrew’s most notable career accomplishment was founding Betfair, now the UK’s largest gambling provider. The business continues today, providing slots, simulated card games, and real-time gambling through services like the Betfair live casino. Its livestreams include blackjack tables, roulette tables, and original game shows where every viewer can act as a contestant.

Andrew founded Betfair in 2000, after having worked as a derivatives trader and a software business owner in the City of London. He had also gambled in his spare time, which helped him make enough money to start the business.

While working his day job, he made a prototype betting exchange in his free time. He showed his bridge partner, Edward Wray, who expressed interest in investing in the business.

Together, they became the co-founders of Betfair. The company launched with £1 million in funding (approximately $2.5 million today) sourced from Andrew and Edward’s friends and family.

Andrew’s financial experience helped Betfair stand out against other exchanges at the time. By 2010, Betfair was listed on the London Stock Exchange, and this was also when Andrew stepped down from the board. The company was delisted from the exchange after it merged with the Irish gambling provider Paddy Power.

Investments

After Betfair, Andrew continued to act as an entrepreneur, investing in several different business models as an angel investor. He went into partnership with footballer and racehorse owner Michael Owen, later becoming joint owners of a horse called Brown Panther.

That horse went on to win multiple horse racing awards in the mid-2010s, most notably the Goodwood Cup. Other horses from the collaboration failed to make an impact in the competitive horse racing scene.

Many of Andrew’s other investments are unknown, though they span tech/science start-ups, other gambling establishments, sports gear sellers, and ecommerce businesses.

He is known to be invested in Hydrodec, a refiner of clean oils that leave no carbon footprint. Another of his investments is in Torchlight Genetics, which specialize in cell-free DNA genetic medicine that can test for illness in non-invasive ways.

Andrew’s exact net worth is currently unknown, but his 15% stake in Betfair netted him £200 million in 2010 ($500 million today). That, and his other pursuits, have led to estimates ranging from $650 million to $670 million. He continues his investments to this day, so his net worth will change depending on the success or failure of several businesses.