UK Politicians Received Salaries and Gifts worth £225,000 from Gambling Companies

According to reports published by The Guardian newspaper, various UK politicians have received various benefits from the gambling industry including salaries and freebies to the tune of £225,000 over the past year.

Listed in the ‘register of members’ interest report, 9 members of the Labour Party and 19 members of the Conservative party had either received hospitality gifts from gambling operators or received payments.

Gifts from Entain

Only hours after speaking about anti-gambling laws, Tory MP Scott Beton attended a Euros football match provided by Entain. Labour MP John Spellar, a guest of Paddy Power at the England v Germany match supported casinos in the House of Commons.

In the UK, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) took Conservative MP Mark Jenkinson to Ascot after he earlier suggested how concerned he was at betting limits being imposed by the UK Government.

UK Government Members under Scrutiny

Members of the UK government have come under scrutiny in regard to allegations of bad practice, with some taking on multiple jobs directly linked to the gambling industry. One member who has benefitted from the gambling industry is Tory MP, Philip Davies. An advisor on customer service and safer gambling commitments for Entain, Mr. Davis accepted around £50,000 along with £8,695 from the BGC, Flutter Entertainment, and Gamesys.

A total of 13 members of parliament have received gifts and salaries from bookmakers and casino operators. The top six Tory MP’s are Philip Davis £58,675, Laurence Robinson £33,3096, Scott Benton £7,495, Nigel Adams £7,417, Aaron Bell £6,995, and Esther McVey (Philip Davis partner) £6,094.

As of yet, there is no evidence suggesting the members of parliament mentioned above have broken any gambling laws, but concerns have been raised as to the validity of the actions in terms of gaining parliamentary members’ favour for the gambling sector.