Gambling industry increased spending on MPs tenfold in five years, data shows
Gambling companies and lobbyists have increased the amount they spend on MPs tenfold in five years, according to Guardian analysis that shows how the industry has become one of the best connected sectors in Westminster.
Data from publicly available parliamentary records show that dozens of Labour and Conservative MPs have received thousands of pounds’ worth of corporate hospitality in the past few years, paid for by some of the country’s biggest betting companies.
The analysis, which follows reports that the Conservative MP Scott Benton offered to lobby ministers on behalf of the industry for money, shows that the sector now spends tens of thousands of pounds a year, mainly on sports tickets for MPs. The figure is likely to be even higher than reported, as anything worth less than £300 does not have to be declared.
The figures have sparked concern among some in parliament that the gambling industry now has too much political power, especially as the government prepares to publish its gambling white paper.
Carolyn Harris, the Labour MP for Swansea East and a campaigner for more regulation of gambling, said the industry’s deep pockets and fondness for treating MPs were very obvious in and around parliament.
“If you go to the bar, you will probably see somebody from that industry, and they’re buying people drinks,” she said. “They attract people with offers to go to things that ordinary people would never get access to, like the Brits, or to watch Manchester United in the hospitality section.
“There are certain times you can have a conversation with someone from an industry, and then you go off and make an independent decision, and that’s how it works. But what happens with this industry is, why do people have to keep on being
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