Ian Paisley, a North Antrim MP, for the Democratic Unionist Party has come under fire for accepting complimentary tickets to a Premier League Football match worth £1,000, despite the fact being an anti-gambling campaigner.
Complimentary Tickets
Mr Paisley received two tickets from William Hill in March this year to the value of £1,000. Despite a backlash from parliamentary members, Mr Paisley, who refused to comment on the issue, had in fact registered the tickets he received in the Commons’ Register Of Members Interests.
Anti Gambling Campaigner
He recently dubbed Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBT’s), found in many high street betting shops including William Hill as a “ Plague On Many Families”, saying they offered “ ridiculously low odds of winning” which sees the maximum bet up to £100 per spin.He went on to say, “ Such betting machines are just one part of the issue, and online gambling addiction is the real problem”. Players are “Bombarded with encouragement to gamble online”, and expressed his opinion on the Governments intervention.William Hill have a chain of successful betting shops and also have a huge presence in the online gambling industry. In 2011, Mr Paisley expressed his concerns in parliament and wanted ‘rules tightening’ where planning permission for betting outlets were concerned.Mr Paisley was asked to comment on the gift but simply replied “ I really have no comment to make”.