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 machines.

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

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

Prime Minister Theresa May stated she was dissatisfied Ms Crouch had resigned however there had been "no delay in advancing this crucial step".

High stakes for fixed-odds wagering machines

' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering machines'

sports betting machine stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The government has actually rejected Labour claims that MPs had 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 planned to be introduced in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch stated: "Unfortunately, implementation of these modifications are now being postponed up until October 2019 due to commitments 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 announcement to reduce stakes and its application, 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, because of that as much as any other, I think this delay is unjustifiable."

She added: "It is a reality of government that ministers need to comply with collective obligation and can not disagree with policy, not to mention when it is policy made versus 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 brave" including: "May God bless her commitment to doing right."

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "should have huge credit not simply for her campaign however for sticking up for her principles".

Fixed-odds wagering terminals generate ₤ 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, people can wager up to ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino video games such as roulette. Anti-gambling advocates say the makers let gamers lose cash too rapidly, resulting in addiction and social, mental and monetary problems.

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

In her reaction to Ms Crouch, the PM stated the government had listened to those who desired the changes to come into effect earlier than April 2020 and "had concurred that the modifications should be in place 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 same time as changes to responsibility charged on sports betting firms based abroad but operating in the UK.

The federal 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 represented Chatham and Aylesford, in Kent, given that 2010

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

She is understood for her opposition to fox searching and her love of football - she is a certified 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 actually worked for numerous Tory MPs, consisting of Michael Howard and David Davis before representing 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 gaming industry".

He praised Ms Crouch's "bold and principled decision" and stated Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "should be completely ashamed" of prioritising "corporate interests over victims, earnings over public health and greed over good".

MPs from all sides of your house joined in his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said it must be talked about as part of the Finance Bill later this month.

Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill

He informed the BBC: "There are lots of individuals whose lives have been harmed by this dependency ... We require to do this very 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 ideal."

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