iGaming Business
Three Conservative-linked figures receive suspended sentences over 2024 UK election date betting case
Anthony Lee, Laura Lee and Amy Hind were given suspended sentences for Gambling Act offences after betting on the 2024 general election date using inside information. The Gambling Commission called it a first of its kind.
Three people linked to the UK Conservative party have been sentenced for offences under Section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005, in a case that drew national attention in the run-up to the 2024 general election.
The defendants are Anthony Lee, the party's then-director of campaigning; his wife Laura Lee, a Conservative candidate who was formerly named Laura Saunders; and former party staffer Amy Hind. According to the Gambling Commission, they used inside information to bet on the date of the election before then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced it publicly on 22 May 2024.
As reported by Sky News, the judge said Anthony and Laura Lee placed bets worth more than £2,000 that would have returned £23,000. Hind reportedly placed four bets and tried to place three more, which would have won her £26,000.
Anthony Lee received a sentence of 10 months and two weeks, Laura Lee four months and two weeks, and Hind six months. All three sentences were suspended for 12 months. The trio must also complete unpaid community service and each received a 12-month ban from using online gambling sites. The Lees were each ordered to pay £1,000 in prosecution costs.
The sentences follow an investigation in which 15 people were charged. Others charged with cheating offences under the Gambling Act are due to stand trial in 2027 and 2028. Former Conservative MP Craig Williams, the most prominent person caught up in the affair, pleaded guilty earlier this year and is expected to be sentenced at a later date. The case first surfaced when Ladbrokes flagged Williams as a Politically Exposed Person and referred his bets to the Commission.
Katharine Diamond, general counsel at the Gambling Commission, described it as a significant case and a first of its kind for the regulator. She said betting markets must be fair and must not be undermined by people using confidential information for personal benefit, adding that the Commission will keep investigating suspected criminal activity. Experts have told iGB that the case showed the growing need for real-time monitoring and cooperation between regulators and industry.
Based on reporting by iGaming Business.