Scottish Secretary Alister Jack has admitted to placing three wagers on the date of his country’s general election, but has denied any wrongdoing in the matter. It’s unclear whether or not Jack is under investigation by the Gambling Commission in the matter, but his case illustrates the importance of politicians avoiding impropriety, or even the appearances of impropriety, especially when it comes to gambling.
Jack, who has apparently never heard of Pete Rose, says he placed three wagers predicting the date of the general election, one of which was actually successful. “I had no knowledge of the date of the election until the day it was called. I placed no bets in May and am not under investigation by the Gambling Commission,” Jack said in comments reported on by the BBC.
Earlier this week Jack told reporters that he had placed one £20 ($25.32 USD) bet and two £5 ($6.33 USD) bets on the election. He had made matters considerably stickier for himself in recent times by telling the BBC that he had won £2,100 ($2658.81 USD) on the wagers, but later admitted that was a joke.
Jack also made a point of letting the world know that he really didn’t have any insider information on the election telling the Guardian, “I had no knowledge of the date of the election until the day it was called. As I have said previously, I placed no bets in May and am not under investigation by the Gambling Commission.”
While Jack maintains that he is definitely not under investigation by the Gambling Commission, the actual Gambling Commission issued a statement saying only, “We are not confirming or denying the identity of any individuals involved in this investigation.”