Bitcoin Forum

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s police bodyguards have been arrested over alleged bets on the date of Britain’s national election made before it was announced. In Britain, bets can be placed on any event which includes election dates.

So the Gambling Commission of the country suspects that this security guard to the prime minister had pre-knowledge of the election date which has been kept secret. The police officer will be charged with misconduct because cheating by acting on inside information is a criminal offense.

In another development, Sunak aide Craig Williams is also under investigation by the Gambling Commission for placing a 100 pound ($128) bet on a July election before the date had been announced.

What are your thoughts?

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/rishi-sunaks-bodyguards-arrested-alleged-bets-uk-election-111256193

It's kind of a wired way of betting to me. I wonder what else they place bet on that sounds very wired. Well, in common sense if the body was so close to the prime Minister, he probably must have gotten a tip from someone on the inside about the election date. That would be the only way he had gotten it and made a bet which is cheating obviously. But it might be a mistake though as no one can actually tell if that's what happened. He might just be blamed falsely just because he works for the prime Minister. He might just be like every other gambling who would have won the bet on similar occasions but the condition of his work just gave him another issue to fight over.

I would have love to know the amount that he would have won if he wasn’t caught - because I don’t know how much he saw that made him take that kind of a risk. He knew that his bet would be consider a crime since he already have information about the result and yet he went ahead to make his bet putting his whole job career at stake and with his position I don’t think he would be able to get a better one. I just hope they are lenient with him.

Since the country allows betting of any kind of, why will they arrest him. They caused it like that because assuming there was no bet on when the election day will be, he might not tell anyone and keep it a secret. Since money is involved that was ahy he had to bet on the right date because he is an I spider and knows about the date. It is cheating and that is why he was arrested, he should have given someone else the date to bet for him.

Let us assume that he knew the date as he is close to the Prime Minister. That is not betting again but cheating if he knew the date and not guessed the date. He should not have taken something as risky as that or maybe he thought it will not lead to something this. There are many ways he can bet in a way the bet will not be linked to his identity.

I think that these people new exactly what they were doing. They knew that they were breaking the law. I do not see this as a case of gambling addiction rather as wanting to gain advantage over the gambling platform with pre-information. Will jail time be enough strong punishment to make them change their ways? While they may not be privy to these kind of confidential information again, they may likely pay some else who is close to the leadership to get this information.

I don’t see anything wrong in arresting him because that is cheating. This is more like match fixing in football where the winner of the game is already known even before the match is played. He needs to be arrested even if the country legalizes betting and no crime in doing that. He is an insider and is not suppose to place a bet on that regard because he already knows the outcome and that will kill the main aim of betting which is the probability of a certain event to take place or not. They should  not give him a severe punishment for that, but he should serve as warning to others who will want to to such when they find themselves in those shoes like this bodyguard does.

It is rather interesting to know that they bet on almost anything and even to something as the date that will be fixed for election.

I think the part that could lead to his arrest is about cheating. He is preview to an official secret and took advantage of it to enrich himself. However, I don't think it is totally his fault as a human being who has the selfish tendency since his account is not limited to bet on that as a member of the inner room.

I think it will be more creative if casinos limit certain people who are preview to the information that they are betting on from betting. Like offline casinos limit their workers from betting on their platform and this is to ensure concentration and also to avoid any kind of cheating.

He might not heard of the elections date before he predicted yours, is close to prime minister, that doesn't mean that he has all necessary information of everything that has to do with elections date, their is something we called brain wave and brain magnet, you may be thinking some else within environment you find yourself and due to its something that you have in mind to say somewhere else, but due to brain wave can make another person to have same thought, two things are involved there, it neither he has heard the information of the date or brain wave magnet it for he to make such bet, but science proved to us that two persons in same on environment can imagine one particular thing.

I agree with you. To allow these insiders to bet means to be unfair to all the rest of the gamblers who don't have access to secret informations. To ensure the legitimacy and transparency of gambling results and winners, cheating must be fought back, otherwise legit gamblers will feel discouraged to continue gambling, considering they are playing against cheaters.

I really don't differentiate the bodyguard's case to the cases involving athletes who prejudiced their clubs on purpose to direct determined betting results. I believe all of them should be punished severily, so other people won't feel encouraged to repeat the same steps futurely.

Aren't any government-related staff not allowed to bet in general in the first place? Especially in this case where they were a bodyguard. Pretty sure in terms of hierarchy, they're a lot higher compared to clerical staff due to their close proximity to higher-ups. Really weird why'd they pushed through with this lol. And even if they were allowed, pretty sure they'd have laws about who can and can't be allowed since it's a per "event" type of thing. Just imagine organizers betting on when x event is going to happen lol.

Probably should've just let others bet for him or something.

I do not think the man suppose to know the information. There is not reason to give people like him restriction to an extent. But if I am wrong, I do not think it is even right for such betting to exist because some people will know the date and use it to cheat on gambling sites in a way it can not be linked to them. What should be used for gambling should be what nobody knows the result already unlike this one until it has happened. Something like matches and something like who to win an election.

So this might be compare to insider trading or some sort that's why he is being punished for this. Of course he had advantage already and so he decided to take that one step and make a bet and unfortunately he was caught.

I think it's fair for the gambling commission to charge him with misconduct. Probably someone squeal the beans for this guy that's why he was being investigated. What's with this aide with Sunak though? Just bad karma or people around him as just in gambling?

It's actually quite good when these news stories come out as it shows that the regulators are on the look out and capable of spotting these things. However it's also amazing that these people are willing to throw away such privileged and presumably well paying jobs for a few hundred pounds in winnings. Chances are if this person has been arrested and he holds this role close to the Prime Minister, the evidence will be pretty clear already and while we should not presume guilt - they wouldn't go in so heavy handed without good backing. I like how even these people who are so close to the seats of power are treated the same way as anyone else would be when abusing access to confidential information.

Do you want them hanged for this? Come on! Understandably, it is a punishable offense to misuse your powers or the information that you get before others, but it doesn't mean they should be sentenced to life or something like that, that is going to be too severe. Maybe some jail time and a reasonable fine so that they can pay it without having to worry a lot.

Losing your job, spending some time in jail, paying a fine, and facing humiliation should be enough punishment for the guy and I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be able to do that anymore because it is not easy for you to stay in touch with others in power after you are found doing something like that.

So, what he did was a big mistake because he lost everything just for some money he could win with that bet, but again, he didn't expect this to happen.

But if I may ask, how were they able to discover that he made such bet regarding the actual date for the election? And secondly, how was the Gambling Commission of the country able to know that the gambler was the security guard to the prime minister? Or does it mean every bet played on a U.K casino are always registered with an ID Card and job location of each gambler, for them to have known he was the security guard of the Prime Minister? Because I think I'm still yet to understand how it all happened, as he ought to have been free, because who knows, if he had gambled and lost, will the commission have had refunded him? The answer is NO.

That's absurd though if they are going to jail for life for such cases. Maybe what he meant is that they should be punished put to jail so that they will realized that what they did was a criminals offense and having a unfair advantage because they have some insider information, very confidential information that also few people know and then he just think of a clever way to make money out of it.

Perhaps he will likely think his choice and decision in life if he gets like months in jail for doing this. I wonder though what will be the effect on the British Prime Minister image here as for sure his political enemies might used this issues to drag his name in the next election. So definitely, this news did some damage to him, IMHO.

It’s pretty crazy how many people have access to insider knowledge nowadays due to the rise in gambling. With so many different events available to be bet on, it’s hard not to imagine this is a huge problem that will seemingly only get worse over time as gambling becomes more and more widespread and accepted.

Because the date has been declared and he won the bet which may lead to further investigation before he can be given the money. You know how gambling sites can be if you won a huge amount of money. We do not know the amount or the person yet, but I guess the amount is huge.

That means he got verified on the gambling site.

The most shocking part of this news is that he bet a small amount while earning a salary much higher than the amount he bet, which shows that he made this bet just for fun and not with the aim of winning a lot of money, usually people who have information privileged when they discover that they can place a bet based on privileged information, they bet a large amount of money because they know that they will get the bet right and they know the risk of being caught, so they place a large amount of money so that when they win, have a lot of money capable of compensating if they are caught and punished, and in this case in this story the guy put in a small amount of money, something that won't even be of any help when he is out of a job, people addicted to sports betting and who bet little money when you have privileged information


From what I could gather from reading this passage:



It seems to me that they just have suspicions that it's him, it's not like they actually have evidence against him, these are those types of political games in which fabricated scandals are used to weaken political opponents.

If anyone is going to be thrown in jail, fined or received any punishment for gambling related financial crime, them it shouldn't just be the punishment alone. Just as there are anger management classes or classes for road traffic offenders there should also be some kind of gambling rehab, responsible gambling classes and courses which should be made mandatory for them to take along with any punishment. The punishment alone doesn't refine and reform or modify the behavior that's where the classes or courses comes in.

If I had elaborated on by comment it would have removed any misunderstanding. My bad. Hope you see my point now?

Thank you .

But couldn't he have bet using another identity? I mean, he should ask his wife or someone close to him that he trusts to put the bet in his place so that his name is not involved in the matter. This possibility confirms the stupidity of his doing so, no matter how tempting the amount he might have won.

At the same time, this makes me wonder whether the bodyguard is authorized to see any sensitive state information. Is there a law that prevents people who hold duties in the British administration from placing bets in general? If the accusation is proven, the bodyguard will be accused of using sensitive data obtained as part of his assigned work, and placing a bet is evidence of that and not an accusation in itself.

This is a crime not just to his profession, but to the casino as well and I think he deserves whatever punishment given to him. I must commend the casino for carrying out the investigation to fish him out. I have no compassion for gamblers who try to act smart by trying to play some tricks on the casinos or place bets with the correct information they already have at their disposal. That is cheating and should never be encouraged.

What difference would it make if he hides his identity or gives the information to someone else to bet on his behalf? Yea he will win the bet and his tricky lifestyle will not end there. He is a cheat and we just don't need to encourage people to cheat. He is being paid to be professional yet he rubbed it in the mud and gave out such vital information just for a small amount that is not close to his salary. He is obviously a threat to his boss and deserves whatever he gets. I just hope the casino places a ban on him too.

Make sense, he could've done this. Maybe he is not aware that it is illegal? Lol. Impossible. This is the best example of an insider where for sure he really has the advantage of knowing the date.
I believe during signing up on some betting platform, there must be terms of condition that any connected about some politician must not be allowed to sign up.

That way, he would've dragging his family members all into trouble. They would still face same consequences as it will still be obvious that he gave his wife or family the right omes to bet on. So I guess there's no two way around it. My question is how they got to know about his bet. Did he show it to them or his data was leaked by the betting company or they monitor his every move since he works for the prime Minister. If this is true and he knew of such matters that could have resulted,  he wouldn't have made such bets. I really don't see anything wrong in his betting. He just like every other gambler made a bet but his position gave him a condition.

For problems like this, it is actually something that is prohibited by law, not because he works for the government, but because there are actions that are very detrimental to the government by risking one of the things that is kept secret.
This is actually the first time I have heard of violation like this, but I think every rule and law in each country is different, but I think it is mistake because have used it for personal gain.
If I were him then I wouldn't do all that because with only small amount of money I would have to face the law and risk my job or my own reputation.

In the end he gets into really complicated problem and there may be criminal threats or fines to be paid, this is crazy, someone who works in the government makes mistakes related to gambling.

Yeah, but as gamblers, I don't think they are willing to hide their idea + he might think that no one is going to find it out, or he has a gambling problem and so his decision is clouded and all he want is to have that advantage and win and don't think of the consequences.

But now it's out, and he has affected others as well, like his families and then the Prime Minister. But it's done now, he can't go back and claim that he didn't and for sure he will have to go to jail for this. They wouldn't file or pursue him if they didn't have a case against him.

I have never heard about such type of betting but if the prime minister's bodygaurd was arrested for election date bet because he had knowledge about the date then such act can't be ignored. I'm very happy to know that he was arrested and I believe government of UK should take proper action against him.

Well shit happens yet there would really be no secrets that would really be kept and wouldnt be known specially if its really that a confidential information. You would really expect that there would really be that specific rules and regulations been set. If that bodyguard kn0ws it ahead then it would be ideal that he had had made out some bets if its that been offered or shown or listed on betting sites and make money
most out of it without putting up his life at risks on getting imprisoned or would be charged up on violating laws on which we know that they are really that strict when it comes to this.

On the moment that you would really be leaking up something without their permission or get caught then you do know the consequences. It did really just turned out that he had been caught
on what he had done and of course there would really be consequences to that.

I don't know how much the other guy bet but this one is more concerning from the betting website point of view, he basically placed 100 bets on a 5:1 a few days before the announcement and it got flagged as suspicious, there should be a limit how "suspicious" works here. I don't think they will care about the bets that were placed at lower odds and with more money and lost but what was that out of the ordinary on a 5:1 bet, I would have also flagged it if it were a 250:1 and maybe this was the only guy that bet more than £1 but this is just nuts.

They have all the right to arrest him. Maybe there is something you really missed. It’s normal to gamble in the country, but his gambling activity becomes illegal because the person was acting on inside information, which is a criminal offense. Since he heard about the date of the election, he wasn’t supposed to place a bet or even reveal information like this to anyone since it hasn’t been made public yet. He was just trying to take advantage and make more money, which is really wrong, if you are in some position, there are things that you are not supposed to do. If he really wants to gamble, he should gamble on other sports or activities, but not on election dates that haven’t been revealed yet.

The guard is just trying to make extra bucks for himself, as, due to the inflation rate, the salary he is receiving is not enough to satisfy his needs. I hope the issue doesn't take him to prison, though. If I were in such a situation and was fully aware that such action could implicate me and perhaps tarnish my reputation, I would just save my ass by letting the opportunity slide, or I could give someone else the information and ask them to place the bet on the agreement that we both would share the profit that comes after. Now that he has been arrested, I believe he will also lose his job after he has been released from police custody. 

But still, it is against the rules as the guard already has the knowledge or already knows when the election date is, and I think he already knows that participating in a bet or gambling related to the election date is forbidden, but he still does so. Yeah, maybe he is in need of extra income, but still, rules are rules, and it is his fault that he let himself be caught. If I were in his situation, I would just make someone do the betting or gambling for me. I would simply provide the information. Yes, it is still a form of cheating, but at least I didn't get caught. Unless the authorities make a thorough investigation, then that would be a problem. Anyway, for me, the punishment should be served as he already knows the rules and regulations, so when he breaks the rules, expect a consequence. That is, in life, you should not get ahead of yourself.

it's clearly a bridge of trust for him to have acted in that way. Honestly, it might not be that he placed a bet on such things for the purpose of just winning some cash from the bet but might have done that because he wants to leak the secrete behind the date of the election.

If a player could be penalized for getting card in matches just to benefit gamblers, it's totally understandable why it's necessary that he be arrested, fined and altimately sacked from occupying that office. If he can bridge the trust that's bestowed on him as an internal personality that knows what's happening in the house, there is no telling what information he would let out to the public in the future. Cheating in gambling doesn't just come when you've device a means to bypass the ideal gambling roles. When you've done a thing as this that has the potential of becoming of a security threat to the state, it means that you're a selfish person who is just concerned about himself and what he tend to get from being a part of a system.

Misconduct in public office can lead to a ten to fifteen years jail term. He could however get lesser punishment if he is a first-time offender or produce a strong defense.
He might also face suspension or dismissal from his job. Sometimes it is not because the salary is not enough, greed usually plays a major role.


Giving the bet to another person to play is also a criminal offense. This is because he is still using his privilege or position as an insider to get financial gains. So the best option will be to avoid placing such bets to escape this drama. The name of the officer might be named after the investigation has been concluded. He has not only tarnished his image but also that of his family.

I also had same thoughts as well because I wonder what he was thinking to make such a bet when he knew so well that he will be caught I mean there was no way he could have gotten out of this because it is crystal clear he knew about the date then why didn't he just keep it to himself as some other people must have as well known about the exact date, apart from cheating this is a criminal offense IMO because ordinarily, as a security bodyguard to the prime minister, he shouldn't have placed a bet on the election date even if he is not aware of the said date and in this case i doubt how he can be able to defend himself that he had no knowledge of the date. This is really a punishable offense because even though he did the bet without being noticed it's still very wrong of him. Bets is supposed to be made on an avent that no one knows when it will happen or how it will happen not when someone actually knows the exact outcome, it is a criminal offense.

My thought is that the bodyguard is truly unprofessional and if found guilty, he has to face disciplinary actions. I don't think such a bodyguard can be trusted in such a sensitive role anymore and this will forever be a dent to his career. You can imagine the person guarding the prime minister of the UK, that's very good luck and an enviable career which no one should jeopardise.

If at all he wanted to gamble such, he should have planned it to the point that none of his family members would be employed for the job, but a very distant friend who can keep it a secret and bet it as if nothing happened. He is a security officer, so he should know better than this.

I do not encourage anyone to take advantage of his position to cheat in any matter, but I put forward a hypothesis that is more logical if he really intended to cheat. With this foolish behavior, he raises many hypotheses, the most important of which is that he may have been ignorant of the risks of what he was doing, otherwise he would have thought more before taking this step, which I consider very stupid, even if it was intended to deceive. This bodyguard got himself involved easily when he could have cheated better without being involved.

I am sure that there are many corrupt people like him, but they are not discovered because they certainly know better ways to exploit the information they have. In the case of this bodyguard, the most he can do to defend himself is to continue his denial, under the pretext that someone used his data to register at a casino in order to implicate him.

Exactly what I have being trying to coin out now because it's sound stupid to my hearing, because I can't seem to understand the context of a whole prime minister actually been investigated under the context of actually placing a bet of actually 128$ worth, I mean this is one crazy habit or a way to bet in Britain or is there something that am missing in the whole thing because I believe as a prime minister this level of gambling shouldn't be his or is he just thrilled by the habit to actually make a bet and then win because I know so many people who are just like that.

It makes me wonder about the wage rates the personal bodyguards of a prime minister are, to be honest. If someone is willing to jeopardize their job and the future of their career as a bodyguard, then it must be side the risk of getting caught and get their name tainted is proportional to whatever he is getting from the government of the United Kingdom, don't you think?

Anyways, when comes to being a bodyguard trust is crucial, I am afraid this guy is going to get in serious trouble if found guilty... He may even miss his job after he realizes what he did.
I assume he heavily betted on the date, enough to get a couple of millions of sterling Pounds, who knows.

That should be it because of the morale to the job that they're doing shouldn't be taken advantage by their personal issues. He probably don't think that it's going to be big as this with the bet that he's made. Well, he has to take that consequence and I think the risk was there on his mind but still pursued this because of the little money that he might get from it. This will serve to the other bodyguards and other positions that might be taken as advantage for gambling in the bookies.

For sure that there are but they're out of the radar because they're hiding themselves perfectly. And if he's going to deny it, I think that the punishment will be bigger instead of just admiting it and let this case closed by himself and take all of the consequences that won't be favorable to him.

The wage may not be so high but the prestige and privileges attached to the position will be enormous, these are not worth losing. And certainly, he will be punished, though it might not be as we think, nonetheless, this will always stain his record book. And after retiring from this job, someone like him may not get any private security job anymore because his record will always haunt him.

Hahaha...force and paramilitary have their ways of dealing with this kind of situation. After all, it is not a treasonable offence, I believe he will remain in his job but in a different office. Also, he can either be demoted, suspended, or transferred to a very unfavourable place.

I do not assume that because he might not even have access to that kind of big money. What I realise is that he saw an opportunity and he wanted to use it. We are humans and a light risk like that which cannot affect the direct security of the PM can still be thought of, but the issue is that he handled the play unprofessionally. It is not today that leaks are happening that can't be ever traced to who leaked it.

The British Prime Minister is so embarrassed about the actions of his insiders that he has promised anyone found guilty of this illegal form of gambling will face the consequences. He is angry because it has been unveiled that many insiders also placed bets on election dates. Conservative Party’s director of campaigning Tony Lee and a police officer were the first to be investigated but it seems that two Tory election candidates - Laura Saunders and Craig Williams are also involved in these illegal acts. Both candidates confirmed that they were being investigated by the Gambling Commission. It seems many of these politicians are corrupt gamblers who want to take advantage of any opportunity to cheat the system.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c844je9nq89o

This means it does not have to be one of his relatives who might later be suspected. It could be a close friend or someone else he trusts. At least he could sell the information to any unknown person on the Internet without revealing his identity.
I am now counting the possibilities that this bodyguard could have adopted without harming himself in this way. This means that it is unfortunate for a person to be corrupt and stupid at the same time, and the administration that employed him must review its standards and evaluations regarding human resources because what is more regrettable than employing corrupt people is employing fools.

Now he is accused of betraying his country and revealing secrets related to his job, and I expect that he will be pressured during interrogation, which may expose others to more accountability. We do not forget that the information was shared with the casino in which he registered which knows that he is the bodyguard of a prominent figure. This means that we do not know whether the casino in turn exploited the information in one way or another.

I thought I already said that?  :-\



Yes, you are right; greed might have birthed his action, but according to the saying, "ignorance is not an excuse for the law." Even if he doesn't go to jail, he will definitely be dismissed from duty, and that's for sure. He has destroyed his reputation by his action and might not be offered any serious job that has to do with trust and honesty. 

I know it's a crime if he also gives the game to someone else to stake in it, but at least it might have kept him undetected and perhaps protected him against the shite he is into right now. If there are 50,000 gamblers who has staked on the date of the election, there will still be only a few people who will luckily get the right date and win the bet. So, if he had given the date for someone to stake, he may not have been detected.