The gambling watchdog’s investigation into the Conservative Party betting ring has been widened to look into hundreds of suspicious bets.
The Times reports today that a dossier containing details of all bets that stood to win more than £199 has been passed to the Gambling Commission by betting companies.
Investigators are sifting through a spreadsheet of hundreds of names to identify gamblers who were employed by the Conservative party — or had ties to someone who was.
Betting companies became suspicious when there was a spike in activity shortly before Rishi Sunak made the surprise announcement of an early election.
Entain, the owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, alerted the watchdog to the fact that Craig Williams, an aide to Sunak, had placed a £100 bet on a July election.
On Sunday, James Cleverly, the home secretary, said that aides and insiders who placed bets on the timing of the general election should co-operate with the inquiry.
Speaking to Times Radio, he said he would prefer not to have to discuss the “inappropriate behaviour” of staff in CCHQ but he acknowledged that anybody who placed a bet on the election date would need to come clean.
Asked if he would encourage people to come forward, he said: “I would always say people should do the right thing.”