UK Pol Who Bet on Himself to Lose Election Claims Gambling Watchdog Cost Him Seat

A British politician who bet £800 on himself to lose an election now claims the country’s gambling regulator ensured that’s exactly what happened.

Kevin Craig, 55, who stood for the Labour Party in the 2024 general election, has accused the UK Gambling Commission of interfering with the democratic process by investigating his wager and allegedly leaking details to the media.

Craig is now demanding a parliamentary inquiry into the regulator, which dropped its investigation into him without charges in December 2024.

In an interview with iGaming Business published Wednesday, Craig claimed the commission’s actions cost him the parliamentary seat of Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, which he lost to Conservative Patrick Spencer by 4,290 votes.

“The regulator at the moment is out of control,” claimed Craig, warning that other political candidates could suffer the same treatment.

Betting Against Himself

Craig was suspended by Labour on June 25, 2024, nine days before the general election, after the Gambling Commission informed the party it was investigating a bet he had placed on his own comeuppance

He bet £800 on the Conservatives retaining the constituency, potentially winning £400 if he lost at the ballot.

Craig said he placed the bet weeks earlier because he believed he had little chance of winning. He claimed he intended to donate any winnings to charity and had no inside information.

At the time, he apologized unreservedly, describing his actions as a stupid error of judgment but also as “a bit of fun.”

Although Labour withdrew its support, Craig remained on the ballot because nominations had already closed.

The commission closed its investigation five months later, concluding there was insufficient evidence to meet the threshold for prosecution. Craig was subsequently readmitted to the Labour Party.

Claims of Election Interference

Craig now argues that the investigation, rather than his bet, determined the election’s outcome.

He told iGaming Business that internal polling had suggested he was performing strongly before the controversy erupted, although he provided no figures to substantiate that claim.

He also accused the commission of leaking confidential correspondence about its investigation.

Craig, founder and CEO of lobbying firm PLMR, says he is personally funding a campaign for the parliamentary Culture, Media and Sport Committee to investigate the commission’s conduct.

His proposed inquiry would also scrutinize the regulator’s spending, its approach to illegal gambling, and its use of statistics in policymaking.

Craig’s case was separate from the wider 2024 election-betting scandal involving political insiders linked to the Conservative Party who are suspected of wagering on the election date using confidential information.

Former Conservative politician Craig Williams pleaded guilty, among others, to cheating in June 2026 in connection with that investigation.