Four Tories Have Come under Investigation for Election Date Betting
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Betting operators have handed the UKGC information on all bets that stand to win more than £199. Investigators are now working through who placed these bets in an attempt to identify those who would have had inside information about the election date.
Spike in Betting Prior to Announcement
Bookmakers’ suspicions were aroused after they noticed a spike in betting activity just before Rishi Sunak announced the election date. Entain informed the gambling commission that Craig Williams, one of Sunak’s aides, had placed a £100 bet on a July election.
He had been flagged as a politically exposed person (PEP) and has since described placing the bet as a “huge error of judgment”.
Following the tip-off from Entain, the UKGC contacted a number of gambling operators and asked them to compile a list of those who had placed bets on a July election. This is said to have resulted in hundreds of names.
It is understood that none of the bets were for particularly large amounts, likely because gamblers know that this would automatically result in in-depth checks.
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In addition to Williams, three members of the Conservatives are facing questions over bets they have placed, as well as one of the Prime Minister’s police protection officers.
The party’s chief data officer, Nick Mason, is under investigation for placing dozens of bets, which would have resulted in thousands of pounds in winnings. The Tory candidate for Bristol North West, Laura Saunders, and her husband, Tony Lee, are also under investigation.
Over the weekend, Home Secretary James Cleverly called for all aides and insiders who have placed bets to fully cooperate. He said that there is “no reason to believe” that Cabinet ministers had bet on the election date and that only a “small number of individuals” were involved.
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