Seven Tories and two Labour MPs accepted free Euro 2020 tickets worth thousands of pounds from gambling companies
- Nine MPs accepted tens of thousands of pounds of corporate hospitality
- Free tickets were given to Euro 2020, Wimbledon and even Royal Ascot
- Many of the tickets were sponsored by firms involved in the gambling industry
- Find out the latest Euro 2020 news including fixtures, live action and results here
Seven Tories and two prominent Labour MPs accepted free Euro 2020 tickets worth thousands of pounds from gambling companies.
MPs were also given free tickets to Wimbledon and Royal Ascot by the betting industry, according to the register of MPs’ interests.
Former work and pensions secretary Esther McVey accepted a £3,457 hospitality package to attend the England v Denmark semi-final from Entain, the owner of Ladbrokes. Her husband, Tory MP Philip Davies, declared the same freebie.
Former Works and Pensions minister Esther McVey, pictured, a £3,457 hospitality package to attend the England v Denmark semi-final from Entain, the owner of Ladbrokes. Her husband, Tory MP Philip Davies, declared the same freebie
Fellow Tory MP Scott Benton, who represents Blackpool South, accepted almost £8,000 worth of hospitality for two England games, Wimbledon and Royal Ascot, courtesy of Entain, online betting company Gamesys and the Betting and Gambling Council.
Labour MPs Toby Perkins, a shadow skills minister, and Mark Tami, an opposition whip, also accepted packages to attend an England game, worth £3,457 and £1,961 respectively.
MPs have not yet registered hospitality for the Euro 2020 final, so more declarations are expected.
The stream of freebies come as the Government reviews the Gambling Act to consider tightening the rules on betting companies’ advertising.
Gambling firms have been widely condemned for using the Euros to entice fans to visit their sites, flooding social media and television with adverts.
Matt Zarb-Cousin, director of the Clean Up Gambling campaign, told The Guardian: ‘While the government reviews our gambling laws, it’s no surprise to see the betting industry on a charm offensive.
Tory MP Laurence Robertson took hospitality for England v Denmark from Entain, a package worth £2,800 from the Betting and Gaming Council for Royal Ascot and another event at Sandown racecourse hosted by Coral
‘Thankfully the vast majority of MPs are in favour of gambling reform, but legislators should think twice about accepting hospitality from a sector that derives the majority of its profits from people experiencing harm.’
The other Tory MPs to accept free Euros tickets were Graham Stuart, Stuart Andrew and Ben Bradley, who were all given tickets to England v Germany at Wembley with hospitality worth £1,961 by bookmaker Power Leisure.
Meanwhile Laurence Robertson, Conservative MP for Tewkesbury, took hospitality for England v Denmark from Entain, a package worth £2,800 from the Betting and Gaming Council for Royal Ascot and another event at Sandown racecourse hosted by Coral.
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