Survey finds public support for ban on MPs betting on political markets in the UK

The study found that 60 per cent believe politicians should have to disclose gambling activity.

UK.- While the Gambling Commission continues its probe into the Conservative Party Gamblegate scandal, it appears the public is in favour of measures to prevent a repeat. A survey conducted by YouGov for OLBG.com found that 76 per cent of the British public wanted politicians to be banned from gambling on politics.

Meanwhile, 46 per cent agreed that anyone found to have used insider knowledge to bet on politics should be banned from public office and 60 per cent said politicians should be required to publicly disclose all gambling activity.

The survey was conducted on August 15 and 16 among  2,273 adults weighted to be representative of the general population. 

OLBG CEO Richard Moffat said: “While politicians are also private citizens and should enjoy a reasonable amount of privacy, as members of public office they are meant to serve the best interests of the public. As a result, they are held to a high standard, and if those involved have used insider information for financial gain, even in a token amount, it may have far-reaching consequences.”

The survey also found that 34 per cent of those who learned of the betting scandal felt less trust in the Conservative government as a result, while 27 per cent think the new Labour government will be no better.

What was the Gamblegate scandal?

Several Conservative Party politicians were found to have placed bets on the date of the July 4 general election in the UK, including Craig Williams, an aide to the former prime minister Rishi Sunak, and Laura Saunders, the candidate for Bristol North West. The cases raised questions about the potential use of insider knowledge. 

The Metropolitan Police has announced that it has ended its investigation into alleged betting offences and that the evidence available did not meet the threshold to prove misconduct in public office, but, at the time of publication, the Gambling Commission continues to investigate the incidents.

The regulator is investigating whether they constitute breaches of the Gambling Act through the use of confidential information to gain an unfair advantage in a bet. Seven police officers are also under investigation.