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

1 November 2018

sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has resigned over "delays" to a crackdown on maximum stakes for fixed-odds wagering machines.
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Chancellor Philip Hammond said in Monday's Budget that the cut in stakes from ₤ 100 to ₤ 2 would enter force in October 2019.
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Ms Crouch said pressing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it could cost the lives of issue gamblers.

She tweeted: "Politicians reoccur however principles remain with us permanently."

Prime Minister Theresa May stated she was disappointed Ms Crouch had resigned however there had been "no hold-up in advancing this important step".

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 actually denied Labour declares that MPs had actually been led to think the cut would come into force at the start of the next tax year, in April 2019. They suggested the cut had been meant to be presented in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch said: "Unfortunately, application of these changes are now being delayed 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 announcement to lower stakes and its execution, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these makers.

"In addition, 2 individuals will tragically take their lives every day due to gambling-related issues and, for that factor as much as any other, I think this delay is unjustifiable."

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

'God bless'

Among those praising her on social networks, the of Canterbury Justin Welby tweeted, external that she was "principled and bold" adding: "May God bless her commitment to doing right."
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Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "is worthy of big credit not simply for her project but for sticking up for her principles".

Fixed-odds wagering terminals create ₤ 1.8 bn in income a year for the sports betting industry, according to the Gambling Commission, external, and taxes of ₤ 400m for the government.
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Currently, people can bet approximately ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino video games such as roulette. Anti-gambling advocates state the machines let gamers lose cash too quickly, resulting in dependency and social, psychological and monetary issues.

But bookmakers have actually alerted the cut in stakes might cause countless outlets closing.

In her action to Ms Crouch, the PM said the federal government had listened to those who desired the modifications to come into effect sooner than April 2020 and "had actually agreed that the modifications 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 modifications to duty charged on gaming firms based abroad but running in the UK.

The federal government says co-ordinating the date of the two modifications would imply 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, since 2010

She was promoted to the front bench as sports betting minister in 2015
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She is understood for her opposition to fox hunting and her love of football - she is a qualified FA coach

Grammar 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, including Michael Howard and David Davis before meaning election

She had her very first child 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 federal government of "capitulating to the sports betting industry".

He praised Ms Crouch's "brave and principled decision" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "should be completely embarrassed" of prioritising "corporate interests over victims, profits over public health and greed over good".

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

Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill

He informed the BBC: "There are a lot of individuals whose lives have been damaged by this dependency ... We need to do this extremely quickly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the sports betting market will make about ₤ 1bn as a result of this hold-up. That's wrong."

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