Former UK MP entered gambling site using altered passport image

Former British Conservative Party MP Katie Wallis admitted that she changed the date on a digital image of her passport to get around the self-exclusion system that blocks her access to gambling sites. Wallis was MP for Bridgend between 2019 and 2024. At Cardiff Crown Court, she pleaded guilty to a separate offence under the Computer Misuse Act and was acquitted of the original charges.

The defence argued that Wallis was suffering from a serious mental health condition during a period of personal difficulties. These difficulties included coming out as transgender while she was an MP, family separation, and publicly disclosing that she had been raped. Prosecutor Richard Posner said that Wallis had helped in resolving the case, that she had acknowledged her gambling problem, and that she had previously registered with the GamStop scheme. According to the court, the passport was genuine and had not been changed by her. Wallis deposited money on the site using the altered image on her computer, but this money was lost. The court heard that no one else suffered financial loss. Wallis has now applied to be excluded again from online gambling platforms.

Judge Shomon Khan accepted that the act was a single impulsive action carried out during a period of psychological distress, and he found the reasons Wallis gave to be persuasive. Wallis was given a nine-month conditional discharge. If she does not commit a new offence during this period, she will not receive any additional punishment.

A new study by the UK Gambling Commission found that people who bet on illegal sites are seven times more likely to have problem gambling. The same study said that the rate among those who use licensed sites was 6 percent. It was also recorded that registrations with GamStop have risen by 16 percent this year.