{"id":323938,"date":"2024-06-28T13:52:23","date_gmt":"2024-06-28T18:52:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=323938"},"modified":"2024-06-28T13:52:23","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T18:52:23","slug":"senior-uk-policitician-accused-of-betting-on-himself-to-lose-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/senior-uk-policitician-accused-of-betting-on-himself-to-lose-election\/","title":{"rendered":"Senior UK Policitician Accused of Betting on Himself to Lose Election"},"content":{"rendered":"

A senior UK Conservative politician says he has nothing to apologize for after he was accused of betting on himself to lose his seat in parliament at next week\u2019s general election.<\/p>\n

\"Philip
Sir Philip Davies, above, broke no laws by betting against himself at the July 4 general election \u2013 unlike, allegedly, several of his Conservative Party colleagues, who may have placed wagers with insider information. (Image: Flickr)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sir Philip Davies MP neither confirmed nor denied placing the \u00a38,000 wager, first reported by The Sun.<\/em> But he told the UK tabloid he firmly expected to be defeated July 4 in an anticipated landslide loss<\/a> for the governing Conservative Party. Davies has been the member of parliament for Shipley, Yorkshire, since 2005.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s it got to do with you whether I did or didn\u2019t?\u201d he asked The Sun<\/em>, adding that he had done nothing illegal.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI hope to win [in the election],\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m busting a gut to win. I expect to lose. In the 2005 election, I busted a gut to win. I expected to lose. I had a bet on myself to lose in the 2005 election, and my bet went down the pan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sinking Ship<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Conservatives\u2019 already sinking reelection campaign has been torpedoed by a series of mishaps, including an ongoing investigation by the UK Gambling Commission into alleged insider betting.<\/p>\n

Five prominent party figures are known to be suspected of placing bets on the timing of a general election just days before prime minister Rishi Sunak called it on May 22.<\/p>\n

These include two who were expected to stand in next week\u2019s election, the prime minister\u2019s chief aide, Craig Wiliams<\/a>, and Laura Saunders, who is married to the Conservative Party campaign manager. Both candidates were suspended by the Conservatives Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\n

A report by The Telegraph<\/em> this week suggested that as many as 15 party officials in all were under suspicion.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Also in the frame is an unnamed member of Sunak\u2019s personal security detail,<\/a> who is a special officer with London\u2019s Metropolitan Police. Several other Met officers are also under investigation.<\/p>\n

Those found to have placed bets with insider information could be charged with cheating at gambling, which comes with a maximum sentence of two years in prison. They could also be prosecuted for misconduct in public office, which comes with a maximum prison sentence of life.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Davies Broke No Rules<\/strong><\/h2>\n

By contrast, if Davies has indeed bet against his own reelection, he would be correct in saying that he has not broken the law, since the outcome of the election remains unknown and beyond his control.<\/p>\n

Betting against yourself is only prohibited if you happen to be a professional athlete, and even then, it only contravenes the regulations of the official body that governs your sport, unless match-fixing is involved, which is fraud.<\/p>\n

In fact, Davies isn\u2019t even the first lawmaker to have been accused of betting against himself at this election. That dubious honor goes to Labour Party candidate Kevin Craig.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Craig admitted Thursday to placing the wager, which he said was \u201ca bit of fun,\u201d adding that he intended to give the winnings to local charities. He was immediately suspended by the party.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A senior UK Conservative politician says he has nothing to apologize for after he was accused of betting on himself to lose his seat in parliament at next week\u2019s general election. Sir Philip Davies MP neither confirmed nor denied placing the \u00a38,000 wager, first reported by The Sun. But he told the UK tabloid he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":323939,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[86644,61,84511,1074],"tags":[86264,91271,91270,91385,91493,91018,91494],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSenior UK Poli Accused of Betting on Himself to Lose Election<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sir Philip Davies MP accused of betting on himself to lose at forthcoming UK election. 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