| Birth Place: | Hamilton, Scotland |
| Death Place: | East Kilbride, Scotland |
| Birth Date: | 20 September 1925[1] |
| Spouse: | Jean Adam[2] |
| Notable Works: | Glasgow Rangers F.C. |
Hugh Adam (20 September 1925[1] – [1]) was an investor in, and director of, Rangers F.C., working closely with Willie Waddell.[1] He ran the Rangers Pools and later the Rangers Lottery.[2]
His surname is often misspelled as "Adams".[3]
Adam started his involvement with Rangers as a key investor in the Rangers Pools, a pool betting syndicate. He had little knowledge of football but was a good bookmaker. In the United Kingdom, gambling laws are strict but the government has no monopoly on betting, and anything freely traded is allowed under the common law.[4]
The 1971 Ibrox disaster was a crowd crush that led to 66 dead and over 200 severely injured.[1] Adam took charge of the club to ensure that such would never happen again. Unfortunately, a similar disaster occurred many years later in the Hillsborough disaster, and in its aftermath the Taylor Report led to all-seater stadiums in the top tiers of UK soccer.[3]
Adam predicted that Rangers would suffer in the 1990s, but he continued to invest in the club until his death.
See main article: Rangers F.C.. Sir David Murray bought out the club in 1998 and after that Adam had no financial interest in it.[3] Adam disagreed vigorously with Murray about how the club should be organised.