Tory MP Philip Davies slams The Times over Ladbrokes favoritism allegations

A Tory MP with a history of supporting gambling interests has hit back against claims that he received favorable treatment from bookmakers Ladbrokes.

Over the weekend, The Times newspaper reported that MP Philip Davies (pictured far right) – who worked as a bookmaker before being elected to Parliament in 2005 representing Shipley in West Yorkshire – received “extremely favorable” treatment from Ladbrokes regarding his personal betting account.

Specifically, The Times claims Ladbrokes imposed restrictions on Davies’ account way back in 2006 after the bookie determined Davies was employing a ‘bad each way’ strategy by backing second- and third-place nags in horseracing events. A source told The Times that Davies was likely netting something in the “low thousands of pounds” per year in order to have triggered the restrictions.

Davies reportedly contacted a Ladbrokes director to complain about the restrictions, which The Times claimed were subsequently lifted. Racing UK pundit Dave Nevison told The Times that the lifting of such restrictions represented “extremely favorable treatment” of a winning punter by a bookmaker.