Fresh details of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) probe into politicians placing election bets have come to light, with it emerging that the regulator interviewed Sir Oliver Dowden, who was the deputy prime minister during Rishi Sunak’s time in power.
UKGC also seized hundreds of documents from the political party’s headquarters
This revelation resulted from a leak on the first day of the Conservative Party annual conference on Sunday. The interview took place during the summer, with the regulator not believing that Dowden placed bets himself. He was not a target of the investigation. A source told Sky News that the UKGC also seized hundreds of documents from the political party’s headquarters.
Allegations began coming to light in June about numerous Tories who allegedly placed bets on when the election would take place before it became public knowledge. These included Sunak’s ex-aide Craig Williams and previous Downing Street Chief of Staff Liam Booth-Smith. The regulator’s probe began in June and will last for up to an additional six months.
The UKGC is also looking into numerous police officers who potentially acted on insider information to place wagers.
It wasn’t just Tories who placed election bets. One of the Labour Party candidates, Kevin Craig, actually bet against himself winning a seat. His party suspended him and the UKGC commenced an investigation into his activity.