Former MP pleads guilty after Gambling Commission’s election betting probe
Meanwhile, 12 others will face trial over charges of cheating related to bets on the UK general election date.
UK.- The former Conservative MP Craig Williams has pleaded guilty to cheating under section 42(1)(a) of the Gambling Act 2005 following an investigation by the British Gambling Commission. Amy Hind, the wife of Conservative deputy digital director Anthony Hind, has also admitted charges linked to bets placed on the date of the last general election in the UK
Williams entered his guilty plea at Southwark Crown Court yesterday (June 29). Three further cheating charges, which he denied, will be dropped. Both he and Hind face penalties of up to two years in prison or a fine while another 12 people await trial.
The Gambling Commission’s investigation, dubbed Operation Scott, focused on allegations that insiders used confidential information to place wagers on the timing of the July 2024 general election. A police investigation into the scandal, dubbed Gamblegate in the media, concluded with no action, but the Gambling Commission proceeded to file charges under its remit for enforcing the rules of the Gambling Act.
Williams, 41, represented Montgomeryshire in Parliament from 2019 until 2024 and served as parliamentary private secretary to the then prime minister Rishi Sunak. The prosecution alleged that he placed bets of £250, £100, and £22.50 on a July election date shortly before Sunak publicly announced the timing. It had generally been expected that an election would not be called until later in the year, but the prosecution said Williams had “used highly sensitive and confidential information”.
Gambling companies are required to apply enhanced checks on politically exposed persons (PEPs), which can include restrictions on their accounts. As a result, the operator Ladbrokes flagged up Williams’ betting on its app for scrutiny.
The Gambling Commission said in a statement: “As a result of his privileged position Craig Williams attended various meetings with the prime minister and senior staff at Conservative Central Headquarters during which the date of the general election was discussed. This was highly sensitive and confidential information but instead of keeping it secret Craig Williams sought to profit from it.”
Hind also placed bets on the election date, allegedly after receiving confidential information. She wagered £10, £5, and £20 before attempting to stake £767 and £700 on May 13. Those attempts failed, but she was able to place a £100 bet at odds of 11-1.
She is due to be sentenced on October 23. A separate charge against her husband Anthony Hind, 37, that he had cheated at gambling by passing information to his wife has been dropped.
Gamblegate trial dates set
Williams will not be sentenced until 12 co-defendants have stood trial. The trials have been set for September 2027 and January 2028.
Among those denying charges of cheating are Russell George, who was a member of the Senedd for Montgomeryshire, Thomas James, who was the director of the Welsh Conservatives and Jeremy Hunt, who was a Met police close protection officer working at Downing Street.
Also charged are Anthony Lee, a Conservative Party director of campaigning, and his wife Laura Saunders, who was a parliamentary candidate for Bristol North-West and led international at Tory HQ. Lee faces two charges as he is accused of placing bets himself and giving confidential information to his wife so she could allegedly cheat.
Also accused are Tory Party officials Nick Mason, Iain Makepeace, Simon Chatfield and James Ward, alongside Paul Place, a consultant who worked with the Conservative Party, former parliamentary candidate Charlotte Lang, and Jacob Willmer, who is the brother of Conservative Party deputy chief of staff Toby Willmer.
