British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's parliamentary private secretary, Craig Williams, is speculated to be guilty of placing a £100 ($127) bet three days before the July election was officially announced. He was investigated by the UK Gambling Commission for taking part in the general election.
Williams confirmed he placed a bet with bookmaker Ladbrokes on May 19 in his constituency of Montgomeryshire.
Williams admitted to making the bet a few weeks ago and acknowledged the impact it may have had.
Williams said on social media: "I was contacted by a journalist saying that the Gambling Commission was investigating one of my accounts and I thought it best to be completely transparent. A few weeks ago, I bet on the election. This led to some routine investigations, and I confirmed that I would fully cooperate. I didn't want it to distract from the campaign. I should have thought carefully about what it would look like."
The bet, which could have brought a payout of £500, raised questions about the use of confidential information for personal gain. A Conservative Party spokesman said the matter was being treated as a personal matter for Williams. They pointed out that using confidential information to gain an unfair advantage when placing bets could be considered cheating under Section 42 of the Gambling Act, a criminal offence.
The incident sparked criticism from the opposition. Labour's shadow treasurer, Jonathan Ashworth, called the incident "extremely unusual" and criticized Prime Minister Sunak's response.
Ashworth said: "Rishi Sunak has been hiding this information for over a week but lacked the courage to act. Rishi Sunak's weakness has once again been exposed."
A Gambling Commission spokesperson said: “The Gambling Commission will not normally confirm or deny whether any investigation is ongoing unless or until the investigation is concluded, or an arrest is made or charges are laid during a criminal investigation.”
The investigation comes amid increased regulation of the UK gambling industry. The UK Gambling Commission (GC) and Betting and Gaming Commission (BGC) have recently announced new rules and voluntary inspections aimed at protecting players from gambling harm. The measures are part of a phased implementation plan that will run until February 2025 and include financial vulnerability checks, frictionless financial risk assessments and more stringent age verification processes.
The General Supervisory Authority’s new rules aim to reduce instances of financial harm by conducting light-touch financial vulnerability checks and piloting financial risk assessments for customers with large net deposits.
BGC’s voluntary Customer Screening Guidelines are designed to complement these rules by providing guidance for operators’ interactions with high-deposit players, requiring vulnerability assessments and implementing interventions for high-risk individuals.
