Former Conservative MP Craig Williams and NHS worker Amy Hind have pleaded guilty to cheating offences under the Gambling Act 2005 at Southwark Crown Court.
The guilty pleas were entered on Monday, 29 June 2026, in connection with the UK’s 2024 General Election insider betting scandal.
Both defendants were charged under section 42(1)(a) of the Gambling Act 2005, which relates to cheating at gambling.
The 2024 General Election date of 4 July 2024 was announced publicly by then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on 22 May 2024, following weeks of confidential planning.
Planning for the election date took place at 10 Downing Street and among senior staff at Conservative Campaign Headquarters well before any public announcement was made.
Various gambling operators had offered special markets on when the General Election would be held, markets that were never intended to be exploited using privileged insider knowledge.
Craig Williams served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Rishi Sunak from October 2022 and was sworn into the King’s Privy Council in November 2023, giving him access to highly sensitive discussions.
As MP for Montgomeryshire from December 2019 to May 2024, Williams attended meetings where the election date was discussed, and prosecutors say he placed bets of £250, £100, and £22.50 using that confidential information.
Amy Hind, who worked as an NHS Business Support Manager and had previously held roles within the Conservative Party, placed bets of £10, £5, and £20 on the election date using confidential information passed to her.
Before those smaller bets, Hind attempted to stake £767 and £700 on a July poll on 13 May 2024, though those attempts failed, and a subsequent £700 attempt also failed before she successfully placed a £100 bet at odds of 11-1.
At the same court hearing, 13 other co-defendants entered not guilty pleas to cheating at gambling in relation to bets placed on the 2024 election.
Amy Hind is scheduled to be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on 23 October, while Craig Williams will face sentencing at a later date to be confirmed.
The trials of 12 remaining defendants are set to take place across two separate hearings in September 2027 and January 2028.
The criminal charges were brought by the Gambling Commission following the launch of Operation Scott, which was established to investigate gambling activity by politicians and Conservative Party employees ahead of the 2024 general election.
