Have the Conservative Party Formed an Organised Betting Ring?

Craig Williams, Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, is one of the people under investigation for alleged involvement in a Conservative Party betting ring. (Image: Imageplotter / Alamy)

Conservative MP Craig Williams was being investigated by the Gambling Commission for having allegedly placed a bet on the date of the next general election with inside knowledge.

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High Ranking Officials and Politicians Alleged to Be Involved in Betting Ring

Now it emerges that he may not be the only member of the Conservative party to be involved in what Nigel Farage has claimed to be a ‘conservative party betting ring’.

Among the allegations doing the rounds are that close protection officers of the Prime Minister, police officers, other conservative MPs and Party staff may be involved in the scandal, which follows on from the PPE scandal during COVID-19. 

A report in The Telegraph claims that a further five police officers are currently under investigation by the Gambling Commission, the industry watchdog, for placing bets on the date of the general election.

Gambling Commission Among Names of Those Alleged to Have Leaked Information

The source of the latest leaks and revelations have as yet remained anonymous but those among the names include the Police and the Gambling Commission. Both have denied any involvement in leaking information regarding the names of those allegedly involved in betting on the date of the General Election.

On Tuesday June 25th, a Met spokesperson said: "The allegations that the Met has leaked information are simply untrue. We continue to liaise with the Gambling Commission and are assessing information they have provided."

The UK Gambling Commission has reportedly asked operators to share all bets worth £20 or more on the upcoming general election, as Nick Mason became the fourth Conservative named as part of the regulator’s investigation.

Betting Scandal a Poundshop Version of COVID-19 Scandal

Speaking on LBC James O’Brien said that he is ‘disgusted and sick to the core’ of the emerging details of people often adjacent to or close to the Conservative party looking at an imminent national disaster and thinking first ‘how can I make some money out of this’. 

He claimed that the betting scandal was a ‘pound shop version’ of the same thing. He said the numbers were negligible compared to what was made from PPE the only difference is the number of zeros on the end of the payout that they were poised and hoping to receive.

Law Makers Could Be the Law Breakers

The law is clear; Gambling Commission rules state that using confidential information to gain an unfair advantage when betting could constitute a criminal offence but there may be some grey area around proving that those involved had and used inside knowledge. 

The story has echoes of Partygate when senior Conservative politicians were alleged to have held a party at 10 Downing Street during the pandemic. 

Proving the allegations may take some time and at a considerable cost to the taxpayer and as it stands that may take more than enough time for the election to have taken place and those involved to have been elected.

Damned if He Does Damned if He Doesn’t Act

The gamble for Rishi Sunak is does he act now and dismiss those alleged to have been involved and risk a catastrophic loss at the general election or does he weather the storm and risk losing the general election smeared with the fallout of the corrupt actions of those who hold themselves in high office and are the very people responsible for making the laws which organisations like the Gambling Commission work so hard to uphold. 

A Conservative Party spokesperson has said that the Tories “can no longer support” Craig Williams or Laura Saunders as candidates, after they were accused of betting on the timing of the General Election.