Former Conservative director sentenced for betting on UK election date

Anthony Lee, the former Campaign Director for the Conservative Party, was given a 10 months and two weeks suspended prison sentence for 12 months on 23 October 2026 at Southwark Crown Court for betting on the date of the 2024 general election. His wife, Laura Lee, was sentenced to four months and two weeks suspended and Amy Hind to six months suspended; all three sentences include community work and a 12-month ban on using online betting apps, the Gambling Commission said.

Sentences and court orders

The court imposed the sentences on Friday 23 October 2026 following guilty pleas to offences under section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005. Anthony Lee was ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work; Laura Lee 40 hours; and Amy Hind 50 hours. Each sentence was suspended for 12 months and all three face 12 months of supervision plus a prohibition on using online betting apps during the same period, the Gambling Commission reported.

The Lees must each pay £1,000 in prosecution costs; no costs order was made against Hind. Section 42 carries a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment, a fine or both when prosecuted in the Crown Court.

Details of the bets and evidence presented

The court heard that between 10 March and 21 May 2024 the Lees placed bets totalling more than £2,000 with potential returns of over £23,000, according to Racing Post coverage cited by the Commission. Anthony Lee placed or attempted 71 bets totalling £1,773.78 in 21 incidents, 69 of which related to an election in July or a period between July and September. Laura Lee placed eight bets, including one of £100 the day before the announcement.

Amy Hind, then a business support manager at the NHS Counter Fraud Authority, placed or attempted seven bets between 22 April and 14 May 2024 with three bookmakers, staking £135 in total for potential returns of around £1,380, according to the Racing Post. The court also heard that before Rishi Sunak’s announcement on 22 May 2024 there had been an expectation of a 4 July sitting at 10 Downing Street and Conservative campaign headquarters, while operators were offering markets on the timing.

The Commission said Anthony Lee took part in confidential discussions about the date, used that information to place bets and passed it to his wife; Laura Lee, then Head of International for the party and a candidate for Bristol North-West, bet using that information. Hind bet after receiving confidential information about the date of the call.

Origin of the investigation and outstanding cases

The Gambling Commission opened its investigation in June 2024 and charges against 15 people were brought in April 2025, the Commission said. The Commission’s probe was separate from an earlier Metropolitan Police inquiry that was closed. Craig Williams, formerly Parliamentary Private Secretary to Rishi Sunak and the MP for Montgomeryshire until May 2024, pleaded guilty on 29 June 2026 and will be sentenced at a later date; the prosecution said three additional charges he denies will be dropped then, according to Associated Press.

Ten defendants who have pleaded not guilty —Simon Chatfield, Paul Place, Iain Makepeace, James Ward, Thomas James, Russell George, Charlotte Lang, Jacob Willmer, Jeremy Hunt and Nick Mason— are listed for trial in September 2027 and January 2028, the Commission said. The Commission’s charge sheet listed Jeremy Hunt as a former police officer.

Commission response and regulatory reach

Katharine Diamond, General Counsel of the Gambling Commission, described the case as "significant" and the first of its kind for the Commission, warning that betting markets "must not be undermined by people using confidential information for personal gain".

"This is a significant case and a first precedent for the Commission," said Katharine Diamond, General Counsel of the Gambling Commission.

Prosecutor Zoe Johnson KC told the hearing that Anthony Lee "abused" confidential information for personal financial gain; the defence, led by Richard Pratt KC, argued that Lee did not know the date of the call with certainty and that his action "remained a bet from his perspective".

The file notes that Ladbrokes reported Craig Williams’ bets after identifying him as a politically exposed person, which opened an additional line of inquiry. The Commission emphasised that the convictions so far arise from guilty pleas; whether section 42 will stand against defences disputing what each defendant knew and when will be decided at the scheduled trials.

Practical implications and international context

The Commission noted that political markets have a small circle of people with real access to date knowledge, which made detection in this case possible when an operator applied customer checks. IG Group has applied for a gambling licence and expects to add political markets in early 2027, while US election officials are already working to stop pollsters and election staff trading around midterms. The case makes clear that running or participating in political markets requires insider controls similar to those applied by bookmakers in other markets.

Miguel Sandoval, Regulatory correspondent.