Former Conservative MP Kathy Wallis admitted at Cardiff Crown Court that she altered the date on a digital image of her passport to get around her own self-exclusion and open an account with an online betting site. Wallis, who represented Bridgend in south Wales from 2019 to 2024, received a conditional discharge and left the courtroom. Reports on the sentence were published on 2 November 2026.
The offence took place in April 2022, while she was still an MP. The court heard that she acted “impulsively, in a state of acute psychological distress” when she changed her date of birth on a digital photo or scan of her passport to access a gambling platform and bypass her self-exclusion. Prosecutors said she did not alter the physical passport.
She deposited money into a betting account and lost it. The court found no other financial losses.
Judge Shomon Khan described the offence as a “single impulsive, ill-considered act” and assessed both culpability and harm as “the lowest possible level”. Two counts of possessing a false passport were dropped: the court formally found her not guilty on those counts after she agreed to a new charge under the Computer Misuse Act.
The sentence is a nine-month conditional discharge. If she commits a new offence within that period, the case could be reviewed.
For operators, the case is about document checks: the forgery was made using a digital copy of the passport, not the original. GAMSTOP itself is mandatory for licensed operators: since 31 March 2020 the scheme has been required for all UK-licensed casinos, and the block applies only to operators with a British licence.
The case is one of several betting cases involving politicians. In late October, Southwark Crown Court sentenced three people linked to the Conservative Party for betting on the date of the 2024 general election. The cases were heard under section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005, and the Gambling Commission announced the sentences on 23 October 2026. All three received suspended sentences and a 12-month ban on using online gambling apps.
According to the court, Wallis has again applied to have her access to gambling sites blocked.
