Former WSOP Europe champion James Bord is set to acquire a 75% stake in Scottish Championship soccer team Dunfermline Athletic. The acquisition is being made through a consortium of investors including US citizens Wai Yin Kelly Kung and Justin Royce Harkema, with SFA approval expected next week.

Bord, who won $1.1 million at the 2010 WSOPE Main Event in London, is a former Citigroup banker who transitioned to poker and sports betting in his mid-20s. He currently heads San Francisco-based Short Circuit Science, specializing in sports data analytics and other technological solutions.

The poker champion follows in the footsteps of his former mentors, Tony Bloom and Matthew Benham, both successful sports betting entrepreneurs who went on to own and transform soccer teams. Bloom, known as "The Lizard" in poker circles, purchased Brighton FC and led them to the Premier League, while Benham achieved similar success with Brentford FC.

Bord previously worked for both Bloom's Star Lizard and Benham's sports betting fund, gaining valuable experience in data-driven sports analysis. His consortium already holds a minority stake in Spanish La Liga 2 team Cordoba CF, demonstrating their commitment to soccer investment.

The pending acquisition of Dunfermline Athletic from German investment group DAFC Fussball GmbH represents Bord's most significant move into soccer team ownership, potentially bringing his analytical approach to the Scottish Championship club.

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