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

1 November 2018

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

Chancellor Philip Hammond said in Monday's Budget that the cut in stakes from ₤ 100 to ₤ 2 would enter force in October 2019.

Ms Crouch stated pressing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it might cost the lives of issue bettors.

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

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

High stakes for fixed-odds wagering machines

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

sports betting maker stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The government has actually denied Labour declares that MPs had actually been led to think the cut would enter force at the start of the next tax year, in April 2019. They recommended the cut had actually been meant to be introduced in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch stated: "Unfortunately, application of these changes are now being postponed till 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 statement to decrease stakes and its application, 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 issues and, because of that as much as any other, I believe this hold-up is unjustifiable."

She included: "It is a reality of government that ministers should comply with collective duty and can not disagree with policy, not to mention when it is policy made against your wishes relating 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 bold" including: "May God bless her dedication to doing right."

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "is worthy of substantial credit not just for her project however for sticking up for her concepts".

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 up to ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic gambling establishment games such as roulette. Anti-gambling advocates say the machines let gamers lose cash too rapidly, leading to addiction and social, psychological and financial issues.

But bookmakers have actually cautioned the cut in stakes might result in thousands of outlets closing.

In her reaction to Ms Crouch, the PM stated the government had actually listened to those who desired the changes to come into impact quicker than April 2020 and "had actually agreed that the changes need to remain in location within the year - by October 2019".

In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor stated the modification to fixed-odds stakes would enter force next October at the same time as changes to task charged on gaming companies based abroad however operating in the UK.

The federal government states co-ordinating the date of the 2 changes would imply the government would not be hit 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 understood for her opposition to fox hunting and her love of football - she is a certified FA coach

Grade school educated at Folkestone School for Girls, she went on to get a degree in law and politics from Hull University

She had actually worked for different Tory MPs, including Michael Howard and David Davis before representing election

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 federal government of "capitulating to the gaming industry".

He praised Ms Crouch's "brave and principled choice" and stated Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "ought to be thoroughly embarrassed" of prioritising "corporate interests over victims, revenues over public health and greed over great".

MPs from all sides of your home participated his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said it must be gone over as part of the Finance Bill later this month.

Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill

He told the BBC: "There are a lot of individuals whose lives have been harmed by this dependency ... We require to do this extremely rapidly, as quickly as we can and in the meantime, the sports betting industry will make about ₤ 1bn as an outcome of this delay. That's not right."

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