sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'delay' to sports betting crackdown

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

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

Ms Crouch said pushing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it could cost the lives of issue gamblers.

She tweeted: "Politicians reoccur however concepts stick with us permanently."

Prime Minister Theresa May stated she was dissatisfied Ms Crouch had resigned but there had been "no delay in advancing this essential measure".

High stakes for fixed-odds wagering devices

' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering devices'

sports betting maker stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The federal government has claims that MPs had been led to believe the cut would enter into force at the start of the next tax year, in April 2019. They recommended the cut had been meant to be introduced in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch stated: "Unfortunately, application of these changes are now being postponed until October 2019 due to dedications made by others to those with signed up interests.

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End of twitter post by Tracey Crouch

"From the time of the statement to lower stakes and its implementation, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these devices.
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"In addition, 2 people 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 truth of government that ministers must follow collective obligation and can not disagree with policy, not to mention when it is policy made against your wishes 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 bold" including: "May God bless her dedication to doing right."

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "is worthy of huge credit not simply for her project but for sticking up for her concepts".

Fixed-odds wagering terminals produce ₤ 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 as much as ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic gambling establishment games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling advocates state the devices let gamers lose money too quickly, causing dependency and social, mental and financial problems.

But bookies have alerted the cut in stakes might result in thousands of outlets closing.

In her reaction to Ms Crouch, the PM said the government had listened to those who wanted the modifications to come into impact faster than April 2020 and "had actually agreed that the modifications must remain in place within the year - by October 2019".

In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor stated the modification to fixed-odds stakes would enter force next October at the very same time as changes to task charged on gambling companies based abroad but operating in the UK.

The federal government states co-ordinating the date of the two changes would indicate the federal government would not be struck by a fall in tax earnings.

Who is Tracey Crouch?

The 43-year-old MP has actually represented Chatham and Aylesford, in Kent, considering that 2010

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

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

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

She had actually worked for numerous Tory MPs, including Michael Howard and David Davis before meaning election

She had her first kid in 2016 and is believed 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 government of "capitulating to the gaming market".

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

MPs from all sides of your home participated his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith stated it needs to be discussed as part of the Finance Bill later this month.

Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill
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He told the BBC: "There are a lot of individuals whose lives have been damaged by this addiction ... We require to do this extremely rapidly, as quickly as we can and in the meantime, the gaming market will make about ₤ 1bn as a result of this delay. That's not right."

Labour has actually informed the BBC that they will put down a change to the Finance Bill to attempt and bring in the changes next April.