Couple Plead Guilty to General Election Bet Cheating

Two further people have pleaded guilty to cheating over bets placed on the date of the 2024 General Election.

Anthony Lee, the Conservative Party's former Director of Campaigning, pleaded guilty to two offences at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday. His wife, Laura Lee, formerly Laura Saunders, pleaded guilty to one.

According to the UK Gambling Commission, Anthony Lee had access to highly sensitive discussions about when the General Election would take place. He used that information to place bets and to pass to his wife, who also placed bets.

The pair are the latest to admit offences connected to the General Election betting scandal, which first emerged shortly before voters went to the polls in July 2024.

There’s a fine line between betting with inside information and committing a criminal offence. So, where do we draw that line?

What Did Anthony and Laura Lee Do?

Rishi Sunak publicly announced the General Election on May 22, 2024. However, significant planning was already taking place at Downing Street and Conservative Campaign Headquarters well before that.

Naturally, bookmakers were offering markets on when the election would be held.

As the Conservative Party's Director of Campaigning, Anthony Lee was involved in sensitive discussions surrounding the election timetable. The Gambling Commission says that, rather than keeping that information confidential, he used it to place bets and passed it to his wife.

Laura Lee was then the Conservative Party's Head of International and its candidate for Bristol North West. She subsequently placed bets while in possession of the confidential information provided by her husband.

Laura Lee has admitted to cheating, while Anthony Lee has admitted to cheating and enabling or assisting another person to cheat. The two are due to be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on 23 October.

Is Betting With Inside Information Illegal in the UK?

Betting with inside information can be illegal in the UK. Yet, unlike insider trading on financial markets, there isn't a separate offence specifically called ‘insider betting’. Instead, cases can fall under the much broader offence of ‘cheating at gambling’.

Section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005 makes it a criminal offence to cheat at gambling or to enable or assist anybody else in their cheating.

Importantly, this does not only mean physically interfering with an event. It can also include using confidential information to gain an unfair advantage over bookmakers or other bettors.

A conviction for cheating under Section 42 can result in a fine and up to two years in prison.

Four People Have Now Admitted General Election Betting Offences

Anthony and Laura Lee are not the first people to plead guilty as a result of the Gambling Commission's investigation.

Former Conservative MP Craig Williams pleaded guilty in June to cheating over bets on the timing of the election. Williams served as Rishi Sunak's Parliamentary Private Secretary and had access to confidential information surrounding the election date.

Amy Hind, who had previously worked for the Conservative Party and is married to its deputy digital director Anthony Hind, also pleaded guilty in June.

Anthony Lee, Laura Lee, and Amy Hind are currently scheduled to be sentenced on October 23. Williams will be sentenced at a later date.

The investigation originally resulted in 15 people appearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court in June 2025 on charges of alleged cheating connected to the election date.

Trials involving the remaining defendants are scheduled for September 2027 and January 2028.