Court sentences three over bets on 2024 General Election date

Southwark Crown Court sentenced Anthony Lee, Laura Lee and Amy Hind on 23 October 2026 for cheating offences under section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005, the Gambling Commission said. All three had previously pleaded guilty. Each received a suspended custodial sentence, unpaid work and a 12-month prohibition on using online gambling applications.

Anthony Lee was sentenced to 10 months and two weeks' imprisonment on each count, to be served concurrently and suspended for 12 months, with 100 hours of unpaid work to be completed within the next 12 months. Laura Lee received four months and two weeks' imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, with 40 hours of unpaid work over the same period. Amy Hind received six months' imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, with 50 hours of unpaid work. All three are subject to a probation requirement for the next 12 months.

Anthony Lee and Laura Lee must each pay £1,000 in prosecution costs. No costs order was made in respect of Amy Hind.

The court was told that Rishi Sunak, who was Prime Minister at the time, announced on 22 May 2024 when the 2024 General Election would take place. Well before that announcement, considerable planning had gone into holding the election on 4 July, with discussions taking place at 10 Downing Street and among staff at Conservative Campaign Headquarters. During the period leading up to the announcement, gambling operators were offering markets on the timing of the General Election.

The Commission stated that Anthony Lee held the post of Director of Campaigning for the Conservative Party, and that this position gave him access to confidential discussions about when the General Election would be held. According to the Commission, he bet using that information and also shared it with his wife, Laura Lee. She was Head of International for the Conservative Party and a Conservative candidate in the 2024 General Election, and she used the confidential information her husband gave her to bet on the election date. Amy Hind, a former Conservative Party worker who was employed by the NHS at the time, bet after she was given confidential information about when the General Election would be called.

Katharine Diamond, General Counsel at the Gambling Commission, said: "This is a significant case and a first of its kind for the Commission, demonstrating our commitment to protecting the integrity of betting markets." She went on to say that betting markets have to be fair and that people who exploit confidential information for personal gain must not be allowed to undermine them. The Commission, she added, would keep investigating suspected criminal activity and would use its powers to safeguard the integrity of gambling.

According to the Commission, Craig Williams has already admitted an offence of cheating over a bet on the date of the 2024 General Election, and his sentencing will take place later. Ten other people — Simon Chatfield, Paul Place, Iain Makepeace, James Ward, Thomas James, Russell George, Charlotte Lang, Jacob Willmer, Jeremy Hunt and Nick Mason — face cheating charges connected to bets on the election date, with trials scheduled for September 2027 and January 2028.