1 Sports Minister Tracey Crouch Resigns over 'Delay' To Betting Crackdown
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sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'hold-up' to sports betting crackdown

1 November 2018

sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has 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 enter into force in October 2019.

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

She tweeted: "Politicians come and go however concepts remain with us permanently."

Prime Minister Theresa May said she was dissatisfied Ms Crouch had resigned but there had been "no delay in bringing forward this important procedure".

High stakes for fixed-odds wagering machines

' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering devices'

sports betting machine stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The federal government has denied Labour declares 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 suggested the cut had actually been intended to be presented in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch said: "Unfortunately, implementation of these modifications are now being postponed till October 2019 due to dedications made by others to those with registered interests.
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End of twitter post by Tracey Crouch

"From the time of the statement to decrease stakes and its implementation, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these machines.

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

She included: "It is a fact of federal government that ministers need to follow cumulative responsibility and can not disagree with policy, not to mention when it is policy made against your desires associating with your own portfolio."

'God bless'

Among those applauding her on social media, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby tweeted, external that she was "principled and bold" including: "May God bless her commitment to doing right."

Former Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "is worthy of huge credit not just for her campaign however for sticking up for her principles".

Fixed-odds sports betting terminals create ₤ 1.8 bn in revenue a year for the wagering market, according to the Gambling Commission, external, and taxes of ₤ 400m for the government.

Currently, people can bet approximately ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic gambling establishment games such as roulette. Anti-gambling campaigners state the devices let gamers lose cash too quickly, leading to dependency and social, psychological and monetary issues.

But bookies have cautioned the cut in stakes could result in thousands of outlets closing.

In her reaction to Ms Crouch, the PM said the federal government had actually listened to those who wanted the changes to come into impact sooner than April 2020 and "had concurred that the changes ought to remain in place 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 exact 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 modifications would mean the federal government would not be struck by a fall in tax revenue.

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 known for her opposition to fox hunting and her love of football - she is a competent FA coach
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Grade school educated at Folkestone School for Girls, she went on to get a degree in law and politics from Hull University

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

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

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

He applauded Ms Crouch's "bold and principled choice" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "need to be completely ashamed" of prioritising "corporate interests over victims, revenues over public health and greed over great".

MPs from all sides of your house took part 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 actually been harmed by this addiction ... We need to do this extremely rapidly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the sports betting market will make about ₤ 1bn as an outcome of this hold-up. That's not ideal."

Labour has told the BBC that they will put down an amendment to the Finance Bill to attempt and generate the modifications next April.