SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
A new survey finds that “three-quarters of the British public want politicians to be banned from gambling on politics.”
The sentiment was relayed in a survey conducted by the Online Betting Guide (OLBG.com) and YouGov on the British public’s reaction to the GambleGate scandal, which marred this summer’s General Election.
Dominating news cycles in July, British politics was rocked by revelations that nine people, including two Conservative Party candidates, working within politics were being investigated for betting on when the Election date would be held.
The controversy brought attention to the integrity of UK politics, as the Metropolitan Police and UK Gambling Commission were forced to investigate incidents of betting infringements by campaigners.
Undertaking post-election fieldwork from 15-16 August, OLBG and YouGov found that 76% of Brits think that anyone working within politics should not be allowed to gamble on political markets.
The response was part of an online survey conducted on a sample of 2,273 adults, weighted and representative of the UK’s societal makeup.
Feedback revealed that 46% of respondents agreed that anyone found to have used insider knowledge to bet on politics should be banned from holding public office.
On matters of integrity, 60% of survey participants believed that politicians should be required to publicly disclose their gambling activity.
“While politicians are also private citizens and should enjoy a reasonable amount of privacy, as members of public office they are meant to serve the best interests of the public,” said OLBG CEO Richard Moffat.
“As a result, they are held to a high standard, and if those involved have used insider information for financial gain, even in a token amount, it may have far-reaching consequences,” he added.
The survey concluded with the underwhelming finding that only 34% of those aware of the betting scandal were less trusting of the former Conservative government as a result of the scandal.
Meanwhile, 27% think that Labour will be no better at governing gambling than the Conservatives.
The survey sees OLBG continue its first-hand research into betting affairs and their impact on and reaction from the general public.
