Gambling Commission secures three convictions over UK election betting

Prosecution costs ordered against Anthony Lee and Amy Hind each

£1,000

Unpaid work hours ordered for Anthony Lee

100

Unpaid work hours ordered for Laura Lee

40

Unpaid work hours ordered for Amy Hind

50

Three former Conservative Party staff members were sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on 26 October 2026 for offences under section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005, in the first convictions arising from the Gambling Commission's investigation into betting on the date of the 2024 general election. Anthony Lee, Laura Lee and Amy Hind had each previously pleaded guilty.

“Betting markets must be fair and must not be undermined by people using confidential information for their own benefit”

At the time of the 2024 election, Anthony Lee held the post of director of campaigning for the Conservatives. He placed a bet on the election date himself and gave the details to his wife, Laura Lee, who then made a wager of her own. On each count he received a custodial term of 10 months and two weeks, with the terms running concurrently; the sentence was suspended for 12 months and he must also carry out 100 hours of unpaid work. His wife was sentenced to four months and two weeks in prison, likewise suspended for 12 months, together with 40 hours of unpaid work.

Amy Hind is married to Anthony Hind, who serves as the Conservatives' deputy digital director. Her punishment consists of a six-month prison term, suspended for 12 months, and 50 hours of unpaid work. At election time she was employed by the NHS as a business support manager, having earlier occupied a number of positions in the party, and she accepted that she had placed multiple bets on the election.

All three defendants face a probation requirement for the next 12 months and a one-year prohibited activity requirement barring them from using online gambling apps. Anthony Lee and Amy Hind were each ordered to pay £1,000 in prosecution costs.

The three convictions form part of a broader case tied to the 2024 election, which took place while Rishi Sunak was prime minister. In that case, a number of individuals who could see sensitive material, among it a possible election date, were accused of exploiting that access to bet before the date had been publicly confirmed.

Gambling Commission general counsel Katharine Diamond said the case was the first of its kind for the regulator. "Betting markets must be fair and must not be undermined by people using confidential information for their own benefit," Diamond said. She added that the convictions showed the importance of protecting the integrity of gambling markets and of acting where there is evidence that individuals have sought to cheat, and that the Commission would continue to investigate suspected criminal activity and use its powers to protect the integrity of gambling.

Craig Williams, a former Conservative MP, served as parliamentary private secretary to Sunak in the run-up to the election. He too has admitted breaching election betting rules and is waiting to learn his sentence, having entered his guilty plea in June this year. After the 2024 election he lost his seat to Labour and departed from government.

A further group faces betting-related charges connected to the election: Simon Chatfield, Paul Place, Iain Makepeace, James Ward, Thomas James, Russell George, Charlotte Lang, Jacob Willmer, Jeremy Hunt and Nick Mason. Their trials are scheduled for September 2027 and January 2028.