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

1 November 2018

sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has actually resigned over "hold-ups" to a crackdown on optimal stakes for fixed-odds wagering devices.

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 pushing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it could cost the lives of issue bettors.

She tweeted: "Politicians come and go but principles stick with us permanently."

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

High stakes for fixed-odds sports betting machines

' I lost ₤ 250,000 on sports betting makers'

sports betting maker stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

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

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

"In addition, 2 individuals will unfortunately take their lives every day due to gambling-related problems and, because of that as much as any other, I believe this hold-up is unjustifiable."

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

'God bless'

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

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

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

Currently, people can wager as much as ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic gambling establishment games such as roulette. Anti-gambling campaigners say the devices let players lose money too quickly, causing addiction and social, mental and financial problems.

But bookies have actually warned the cut in stakes could cause thousands of outlets closing.

In her action to Ms Crouch, the PM stated the federal government had listened to those who wanted the modifications to come into result faster than April 2020 and "had agreed that the changes need to be in location within the year - by October 2019".

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

The federal government says co-ordinating the date of the two modifications would suggest the federal government would not be struck by a fall in tax income.

Who is Tracey Crouch?

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

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

She is known for her opposition to fox searching 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 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 implicated the government of "capitulating to the sports betting industry".

He applauded Ms Crouch's "brave and principled choice" and stated Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "should be thoroughly ashamed" of prioritising "business interests over victims, revenues over public health and greed over great".

MPs from all sides of the House signed up with in his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said it ought to be gone over as part of the Finance Bill later on this month.

Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill

He told the BBC: "There are plenty of people whose lives have been harmed by this dependency ... We need to do this really quickly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the sports betting market will make about ₤ 1bn as an outcome of this delay. That's wrong."

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