UK Gambling companies have increased the amount of hospitality incentives they give to MPs in the past few years, parliamentary records show.
Analysis by The Guardian shows that the industry continues to form close relationships with Westminster politicians by offering them cash and/or corporate hospitality. The report comes as the government prepares to release the Gambling Act Review White Paper.
Tenfold Increase
The industry’s hospitality spend peaked in 2021 when it gave away £114,000 worth of tickets and corporate hospitality at sporting and entertainment events to a total of 25 MPs, a significant increase from the £8,000 recorded in the whole of 2019.
In 2022, the figure stood at £87,000, shared by 36 Labour and Conservative MPs. During the year, the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) in particular paid almost £7,000 to take four MPs to the Brit Awards. They included Conservative MPs Laurence Robertson and Scott Benton.
Scandal-Hit Benton Received Thousands of Pounds in Hospitality in 2022
Robertson, who is currently serving as the BGC’s parliamentary adviser on sport and safer gambling with a £2,000 monthly pay, has been one of the biggest recipients of hospitality incentives from the gambling industry in recent years.
Benton has also featured prominently on the list since 2021 when he received almost £6,000 worth of tickets to sporting events, including the England vs. Denmark Euro 2020 semi-final match. Benton was recently hit with a lobbying scandal leading to his suspension from his party.
