Conservative Party's former director of campaigning Anthony Lee and his wife Laura admitted to cheating at gambling by betting on the date of the 2024 general election and passing confidential information to each other. They are among 15 individuals charged in a probe by the Gambling Commission, with 12 others denying the allegations. The couple will be sentenced on October 23, alongside another defendant Amy Hind, who also pleaded guilty to cheating at gambling. Former Tory MP Craig Williams previously admitted having a flutter on the election date using confidential information, placing bets of £250, £100, and £22.50.
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Story summary
Anthony Lee, the 49-year-old former director of campaigning for the Conservative Party, has admitted to cheating at gambling by betting on the date of the 2024 general election. He passed confidential information to his wife, Laura Lee, so they could both place bets. Laura Lee, who is a Tory candidate for Bristol North West and was also involved in the scandal, admitted to placing bets based on this information between March 10, 2024 and May 21, 2024. The couple is among 15 individuals charged by the Gambling Commission as part of an investigation into cheating at gambling. They will be sentenced on October 23. This is not an isolated incident, as a former Tory MP, Craig Williams, also admitted to betting on the election using confidential information in June this year.
Written for “Tory Gambling Scandal” on 2026-09-10,
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Leaning score +0.35 for article 7547 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-09-10
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The Conservative Party’s former director of campaigning today admitted cheating at gambling by betting on the date of the 2024 general election.
Anthony Lee, 49, passed confidential information to his wife Laura, 38, so they could have a flutter in the final months of Rishi Sunak's premiership.
The couple are among 15 individuals who were charged following a probe by the Gambling Commission.
They appeared at Southwark Crown Court via videolink, sat between their lawyers and looking solemn.
uncertain
They → see → lawyers
Mr Lee admitted cheating in gambling by placing bets on the general election and passing the confidential information to his wife.
Mrs Lee, the Tory candidate for Bristol North West at the 2024 election and former head of international at Conservative Party HQ, admitted cheating in gambling by placing bets on the election based on the confidential information between March 10, 2024 and May 21, 2024.
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Lee → cheat → March
They will be sentenced on October 23.
asserted
They → sentence → October
In June this year former Tory MP Craig Williams, 41, admitted having a flutter on the 2024 General Election using confidential information.
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Williams → admit → information
Anthony Lee, 49, formerly the Conservative party's director of campaigns, admitted cheating in gambling by placing bets on the general election and passing the confidential information to his wife
Lee's wife Laura, who was a Conservative candidate in the Bristol North West constituency, admitted cheating in gambling by placing bets on the election based on the confidential information between 10 March 2024 and 21 May 2024
Rishi Sunak's former parliamentary private secretary Craig Williams previously also admitted cheating at gambling after he placed a bet on the date of the 2024 General Election (pictured on June 29)
Williams was former PM Sunak’s parliamentary private secretary and the MP for Montgomeryshire and had attended a series of planning meetings in Downing Street ahead of the general election being announced.
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election → admit → Street
The politician, of Welshpool, Powys, bet £250, £100 and £22.50 on the election date, prosecutors said.
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prosecutors → bet → date
They added three further cheating charges, which Williams denies, will be dropped when he is sentenced.
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he → add → which
Amy Hind, 35, whose husband Anthony Hind, 37, was a former deputy digital director for the Conservative Party, also previously pleaded guilty to cheating at gambling.
She had placed bets of £10, £5 and £20 on the date of the election, before on May 13 2024 attempting to stake £767 and £700 on a July poll.
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She → plead → poll
Those attempts failed and she attempted to place a £700 bet the following day before successfully placing a £100 bet on a July election, at odds of 11-1.
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she → fail → 11
The prosecution earlier said it would not proceed with a charge against Mr Hind.
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it → say → Hind
Mrs Hind also faces sentence on October 23 while Williams will be sentenced at a later date.
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Williams → face → date
Twelve other defendants have denied the allegations against them, including former police officer Jeremy Hunt, 56, who was part of Sunak’s Metropolitan Police close protection team.
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who → deny → team
The other defendants to deny cheating at gambling were Charlotte Lang, 37; Thomas James, 39; Russell George, 52; Simon Chatfield, 52; Iain Makepeace, 48; Nicholas Mason, 52; Paul Place, 55; James Ward, 41; and Jacob Willmer, 40.
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defendants → deny → gambling
The first trial is due to begin on September 6, 2027.
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trial → begin → September
All defendants remain on unconditional bail.
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defendants → remain → bail
