Balthazar Fabricius

Spear’s Review

Growing up on the Goodwood Estate, where his father ran the racecourse for the Duke of Richmond and his son, left Balthazar Fabricius with a passion for betting.

After a stint at Ladbrokes, he started the private bookmaker Fitzdares in 2005 in a Mayfair townhouse, where its premises still are today, with help from members of the Goldsmith family. His aim was to reinvent old-school bookmaking principles and offer a luxury experience to chancing HNWs. It has grown into a club and a digital betting platform, and he is chairman of the group.

Fitzdares takes bets on all sports and specialises in looking after high-staking customers who come to them via referrals, much as one would when joining a rarefied gentlemen’s club.

‘We occupy a rare and exciting space dealing with the doers, the dreamers, the game changers,’ Fabricius says. ‘We are their private playground.’