On September 10, 2026, two senior former Conservative Party figures admitted guilt in the UK election betting scandal, bringing to four the number of defendants who have now pleaded guilty to cheating offences under Section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005.
Anthony Lee, then Director of Campaigning for the Conservative Party, pleaded guilty to cheating at gambling and to enabling or assisting another person to cheat. His wife, Laura Lee, formerly Laura Saunders, a former Head of International for the party and its 2024 candidate for Bristol North-West, admitted one cheating offence.
The UK Gambling Commission alleges that Anthony Lee had access to confidential discussions about when the election would be called and used that information to place bets himself and facilitate bets by Laura before the date became public.
Laura Saunders
Then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on May 22, 2024 that the general election would take place on July 4. Three days earlier, on May 19, Craig Williams, then a Conservative MP and Sunak’s Parliamentary Private Secretary, had placed a £100 bet at odds of 5/1 with Ladbrokes on the timing of the election.
Senior District Judge Paul Goldspring
Ladbrokes detected the wager through controls linked to politically exposed persons. The Gambling Commission opened its investigation in June 2024 and formally charged 15 people on April 14, 2025. Williams and Amy Hind pleaded guilty on June 29, 2026. Together with Anthony Lee and Laura Lee, the case now has four guilty pleas.
All 15 defendants initially appeared on June 13, 2025 at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, where Senior District Judge Paul Goldspring, Chief Magistrate for England and Wales, sent the case to Southwark Crown Court.
Anthony Lee, Laura Lee and Amy Hind are due to be sentenced on October 23, 2026. Craig Williams will be sentenced at a later date. A conviction under Section 42 can carry up to two years in prison, a fine, or both. Ten defendants remain awaiting trial, with proceedings scheduled for September 2027 and January 2028. The Gambling Commission is currently led by Sarah Gardner, Acting Chief Executive. Ruth Evans was appointed as the regulator’s new Chair on September 7, but will formally take office on September 30, 2026.
