Three Sentenced Over Date Bets

Three people connected to the Conservative Party have received suspended prison sentences for cheating by betting on when the 2024 General Election would be held. Southwark Crown Court passed the sentences on 23 October 2026. The Gambling Commission brought the case using section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005.

All three had pleaded guilty, with the Lees entering their guilty pleas in September. The regulator said the case is the first of its kind it has taken to court, and it is still only part of a larger set of prosecutions linked to bets on when the 2024 vote would be held.

Suspended terms, unpaid work and an online gambling ban

Anthony Lee, who was the party’s Director of Campaigning, was given 10 months and two weeks in prison on each count, running concurrently and suspended for 12 months, together with 100 hours of unpaid work. His wife Laura Lee, the party’s Head of International and a candidate at the 2024 election, received four months and two weeks, suspended for 12 months, plus 40 hours of unpaid work. The couple were each ordered to pay £1,000 towards prosecution costs.

Amy Hind, a former Conservative Party employee who was employed by the NHS when the offences took place, was sentenced to six months suspended for 12 months and 50 hours of unpaid work. No costs order was made against her.

The court also attached two identical conditions to all three sentences: a 12 month probation requirement and a 12 month ban on using online gambling applications. For licensed operators, that second condition is a reminder that courts can now restrict an individual’s access to remote gambling directly as part of a criminal sentence.

Confidential timing used to place bets

Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the election date on 22 May 2024. According to the Gambling Commission, the defendants placed bets after obtaining confidential information about when the election would be called, and Anthony Lee passed that information on to his wife.

Political specials are a small but visible part of the UK betting market, and UK election betting tends to draw heavy media attention around every vote. The case shows how quickly such markets become an integrity issue once people with inside knowledge are able to trade on them, a pattern also seen in sport, where leaked team information and betting have led to bans.

The Commission’s General Counsel, Katharine Diamond, described the prosecution as a “significant case and a first of its kind for the Commission.” She added: “Betting markets must be fair and must not be undermined by people using confidential information for their own benefit.”

More defendants still to come

The three sentences do not close the matter. Former MP Craig Williams admitted a cheating offence in June and is yet to be sentenced. Ten other people have been charged with cheating offences over bets on the election date and face trials scheduled for September 2027 and January 2028.

For the regulator, the outcome strengthens its use of criminal powers alongside licensing enforcement. Diamond said the Commission “will continue to investigate suspected criminal activity and use our powers to protect the integrity of gambling.” The full details are set out in the Gambling Commission’s announcement.