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 "delays" to a crackdown on optimal stakes for fixed-odds sports betting machines.

Chancellor Philip Hammond said 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 might cost the lives of problem bettors.

She tweeted: "Politicians come and go however concepts stick with us forever."

Prime Minister Theresa May said she was disappointed Ms Crouch had actually resigned however there had actually been "no hold-up in advancing this crucial measure".

High stakes for machines

' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering makers'

sports betting maker stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The federal government has actually rejected Labour declares 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 intended to be presented in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch said: "Unfortunately, application of these changes are now being delayed until October 2019 due to commitments 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 minimize stakes and its execution, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these makers.

"In addition, two people will tragically take their lives every day due to gambling-related issues and, for that factor as much as any other, I believe this hold-up is unjustifiable."

She included: "It is a reality of government that ministers need to adhere to collective duty and can not disagree with policy, let alone when it is policy made versus your desires associating with 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 bold" including: "May God bless her dedication to doing right."

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "deserves big credit not simply for her campaign however for sticking up for her concepts".

Fixed-odds sports betting terminals create ₤ 1.8 bn in profits a year for the wagering 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 live roulette. Anti-gambling advocates say the devices let players lose cash too quickly, causing addiction and social, mental and monetary problems.

But bookies have actually warned the cut in stakes might cause 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 earlier than April 2020 and "had concurred that the changes ought to be in place within the year - by October 2019".

In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor stated the change to fixed-odds stakes would come into force next October at the exact same time as changes to responsibility charged on sports betting firms based abroad but running in the UK.

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

Who is Tracey Crouch?

The 43-year-old MP has 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 searching and her love of football - she is a qualified FA coach

Grammar 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 various Tory MPs, consisting of Michael Howard and David Davis before standing for election
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She had her very first kid in 2016 and is thought to have been the 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 praised Ms Crouch's "brave and principled choice" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "need to be completely embarrassed" of prioritising "corporate interests over victims, profits over public health and greed over good".

MPs from all sides of the House took part 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.
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Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill

He informed the BBC: "There are a lot of individuals whose lives have actually been damaged by this addiction ... We need to do this really rapidly, as quickly as we can and in the meantime, the gaming industry will make about ₤ 1bn as a result of this delay. That's not right."

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