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Brown accused of hypocrisy after accepting gambling donation

2007-08-22 15:13:08

The Labour Party accepted a £150,000 donation from a gambling firm the day after Gordon Brown became prime minister, it has emerged.

Online betting company Bet 365's donation appeared in the quarterly figures on party donations from the Electoral Commission.

But critics say that it was hypocritical of the prime minister to accept the cash while effectively scrapping the supercasino in Greater Manchester.

"It's a bit rich to have Gordon Brown taking the moral high ground over supercasinos while accepting this [...] sum from an online betting company," a Conservative source told the Independent newspaper.

Mr Brown's government has also demanded a voluntary code of behaviour from the gaming industry and has banned casino advertising before the nine o'clock watershed.