15 charged in election betting scandal
High-profile Conservative party members are among 15 people embroiled in an election betting scandal.
Those 15 have been charged by the Gambling Commission (UKGC) with using inside information to inform bets they placed on the timing of the 2024 General Election.
They are alleged to have placed bets using privileged information, namely the date of the election.
The accused
Most of the 15 accused are all senior members of or close to the Tory party. The most high-profile, Craig Williams, is a former MP and aide to Rishi Sunak. Williams occupied these positions at the time the bets were placed. Also accused is Jeremy Hunt, a former police officer.
Investigation
The scandal was initially broken by The Guardian newspaper which led to the UKGC undertaking a more thorough official investigation which began in June 2024.
The General Election date was announced by Sunak on 22 May 2024. Days before this, the accused are alleged to have placed bets on when the election would take place, knowing that 4 July had been decided.
All 15 will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 13 June 2025. They are charged under Section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005, and the sentences could range from severe fines to sentences of up to two years in prison.
Responses and implications
Following the revelations, the Conservative Party commented quickly, keen to distance itself from the accused. They confirmed that all involved had been suspended, and stated their intention to cooperate fully with the UKGC.
The ordeal has been embarrassing for the Conservative Party, which has weathered more than a few scandals in recent years.
In response, one Labour MP said: “The British people will expect that anyone found guilty of wrongdoing faces the full force of the law [and] anyone found guilty of using insider information to cheat the system to try to enrich themselves has no place in the Conservative Party.”
More broadly, controversies like this one don’t reflect well on the gambling industry as a whole. There are many in the industry who work hard to avoid associations with criminal activity. This incident is likely to test the faith of both the public and the gambling industry.
