British billionaire Marwan Koukash has emerged as a prospective owner of the Gold Coast after becoming the latest player to bid for the Titans.

There has been intense speculation that a fourth party has joined the race to buy the franchise, alongside the North Sydney Bears, Brisbane Bombers and the Rebecca Frizelle-Darryl Kelly consortium, although the identity had been a heavily guarded secret.

Cup runneth over: Marwan Koukash at the Melbourne Cup parade in 2013. Credit:AAP

However, Fairfax Media can reveal the mystery moneyman is Koukash, whose net worth is estimated at $3 billion.

Koukash is already known to Australian sporting fans, having previously brought horses Down Under to compete in the Melbourne Cup. He also expressed an interest in buying the Newcastle Knights, but the NRL – perhaps wary of handing the keys to another self-made multi-millionaire with a penchant for horses after the Nathan Tinkler debacle – instead handed control to the Wests Group.