SEVEN Metropolitan Police officers are being probed over alleged gambling on the date of the General Election.

The force today confirmed it will investigate “a small number of bets made on the timing of the General Election” as part of a joint investigation led by the Gambling Commission.

The probe is being split into two categories with the commission.

Firstly, bets that are suspected of being in breach of Section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005 (Cheating) only will be investigated by the Gambling Commission and are likely to make up the majority of cases, the force said.

Bets that are suspected of being in breach of Section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005, but with specific features that could mean additional offences apply, for example Misconduct in Public Office, will be assessed by the Met’s Specialist Crime Command.

This will be to determine what further investigation is required.

The number of these cases is likely to be much smaller than those in the first category, the force said.

The Gambling Commission continues to review whether any bets placed on the timing of the General Election will be within scope of either investigation.

A Met spokesman said: “The Met has compared the names of those who have placed bets on the timing of the election against a list of their officers. So far, seven officers have been identified.”

One, a PC attached to the Royalty and Specialist Protection Command, was arrested on Monday, June 17 on suspicion of Misconduct in Public Office. The officer has been bailed and is subject to restricted duties.

A further six officers have been identified as having placed bets on the timing of the election. The Gambling Commission continues to investigate these matters but the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards is being kept informed.

Andrew Rhodes, Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission, said: “We are focussed on an investigation into confidential information being used to gain an unfair advantage when betting on the date of the General Election.

“Our enforcement team has made rapid progress so far and will continue to work closely with the Metropolitan Police to draw this case to a just conclusion.

“We understand the desire for information, however, to protect the integrity of the investigation and to ensure a fair and just outcome, we are unable to comment further at this time, including the name of any person who may be under suspicion.”

Detective Superintendent Katherine Goodwin, who is leading the Met investigation, said: “We have agreed a joint approach with the Gambling Commission, who are the appropriate authority to investigate the majority of these allegations.

“There will, however, be a small number of cases where a broader criminal investigation by the police is required.

“We will aim to provide updates at key points as our investigation progresses.”