Powys Conservative candidate Craig Williams has revealed that he is facing a Gambling Commission investigation after placing a bet on the General Election.

The candidate for the newly-merged Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr constituency revealed on a social media post that he had been approached by a journalist about a bet that was found in one of his accounts that related to the general election.

It has now been reported by the Guardian that Mr Williams, who has served as the MP for the area since 2019, placed a bet on the date of the general election just three days before it was announced.

According to the reports, a red flag was automatically raised by Ladbrokes as the bet in Mr Williams’ name was potentially placed by a “politically exposed person”, and the bookmaker is particularly cautious over “novelty” markets.

The reported £100 bet could have led to a £500 payout as it carried odds of 5/1.

As it was an online account it would have required the user to provide personal details including their date of birth and debit card. The bookmaker also knows the location of the bet.

Mr Williams has said that he has revealed the information as he does not want the issue to distract from his campaign.

 

In the post, Mr Williams said : “I have been contacted by a journalist about Gambling Commission inquiries into one of my accounts and thought it best to be totally transparent.

“I put a flutter on the general election some weeks ago. This has resulted in some routine enquiries and I confirm I will fully co-operate with these.

“I don’t want it to be a distraction from the campaign. I should have thought through how it looks.”

The latest YouGov polling had Mr Williams as being the one safe conservative seat in Wales with all the others being behind or too close to call.

The Gambling Commission, Ladbrokes and Mr Williams have all been approached by the County Times.