sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'hold-up' to sports betting crackdown

1 November 2018
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sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has actually resigned over "hold-ups" to a crackdown on maximum stakes for fixed-odds sports betting makers.

Chancellor Philip Hammond said in Monday's Budget that the cut in stakes from ₤ 100 to ₤ 2 would enter force in October 2019.

Ms Crouch stated pressing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it could cost the lives of problem bettors.

She tweeted: "Politicians come and go but principles remain with us forever."

Prime Minister Theresa May said she was dissatisfied Ms Crouch had actually resigned however there had been "no hold-up in advancing this essential procedure".

High stakes for fixed-odds wagering devices

' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering devices'

sports betting device stakes to be cut to ₤ 2
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The federal government has actually rejected Labour claims that MPs had actually been led to believe the cut would enter force at the start of the next tax year, in April 2019. They recommended the cut had actually been meant to be introduced in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch said: "Unfortunately, implementation of these changes are now being delayed until October 2019 due to commitments made by others to those with registered interests.

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End of twitter post by Tracey Crouch
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"From the time of the statement to and its execution, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these devices.

"In addition, two individuals will unfortunately take their lives every day due to gambling-related problems and, for that reason as much as any other, I think this delay is unjustifiable."

She included: "It is a reality of federal government that ministers need to adhere to collective responsibility and can not disagree with policy, let alone when it is policy made versus your desires connecting to your own portfolio."

'God bless'

Among those praising her on social networks, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby tweeted, external that she was "principled and courageous" adding: "May God bless her dedication to doing right."

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "deserves substantial credit not just for her project however for sticking up for her concepts".
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Fixed-odds wagering terminals create ₤ 1.8 bn in revenue a year for the sports betting industry, according to the Gambling Commission, external, and taxes of ₤ 400m for the federal government.

Currently, individuals can wager approximately ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic gambling establishment video games such as roulette. Anti-gambling campaigners state the devices let gamers lose cash too rapidly, causing dependency and social, mental and monetary problems.

But bookies have actually cautioned the cut in stakes could lead to thousands of outlets closing.

In her action to Ms Crouch, the PM said the federal government had actually listened to those who wanted the changes to come into impact quicker than April 2020 and "had agreed that the changes should remain in location within the year - by October 2019".

In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor stated the modification to fixed-odds stakes would come into force next October at the very same time as changes to task charged on gaming firms based abroad however operating in the UK.

The government states co-ordinating the date of the 2 changes would suggest the government would not be hit by a fall in tax earnings.

Who is Tracey Crouch?

The 43-year-old MP has represented Chatham and Aylesford, in Kent, because 2010

She was promoted to the front bench as sports betting minister in 2015

She is known for her opposition to fox hunting and her love of football - she is a qualified FA coach

Grade school informed at Folkestone School for Girls, she went on to get a degree in law and politics from Hull University

She had worked for numerous Tory MPs, consisting of Michael Howard and David Davis before standing for election

She had her first kid in 2016 and is thought to have actually been the very first Tory minister to take maternity leave

But in the Commons on Thursday, Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson implicated the federal government of "capitulating to the gambling industry".

He applauded Ms Crouch's "brave and principled choice" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "should be completely embarrassed" of prioritising "business interests over victims, earnings over public health and greed over good".

MPs from all sides of the House took part his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith stated it must be discussed as part of the Finance Bill later on this month.

Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill
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He informed the BBC: "There are a lot of individuals whose lives have been harmed by this dependency ... We need to do this really rapidly, as quickly as we can and in the meantime, the gambling market will make about ₤ 1bn as an outcome of this hold-up. That's wrong."

Labour has told the BBC that they will put down a modification to the Finance Bill to attempt and generate the changes next April.