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

1 November 2018
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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 stated in Monday's Budget that the cut in stakes from ₤ 100 to ₤ 2 would come into force in October 2019.

Ms Crouch said pushing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it might cost the lives of problem bettors.

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

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

High stakes for fixed-odds sports betting makers

' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering devices'

sports betting machine 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 enter force at the start of the next tax year, in April 2019. They suggested the cut had actually been meant to be presented in April 2020.
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But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch said: "Unfortunately, application of these modifications are now being postponed up 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 lower stakes and its execution, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these devices.

"In addition, two people will tragically take their lives every day due to gambling-related issues and, because of that as much as any other, I think this hold-up is unjustifiable."
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She added: "It is a reality of government that ministers should adhere to cumulative duty and can not disagree with policy, not to mention when it is policy made against your desires connecting to your own portfolio."

'God bless'

Among those applauding 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 "is worthy of big credit not simply for her campaign however for sticking up for her concepts".

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

Currently, individuals can bet up to ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino games such as roulette. Anti-gambling advocates say the devices let gamers lose cash too rapidly, resulting in addiction and social, mental and monetary issues.

But bookies have cautioned the cut in stakes might cause thousands of outlets closing.

In her response to Ms Crouch, the PM said the federal government had actually listened to those who desired the modifications to come into result sooner than April 2020 and "had actually concurred that the changes must be in location 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 modifications to task charged on gaming companies based abroad but operating in the UK.

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

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 worked for various Tory MPs, consisting of Michael Howard and David Davis before standing for 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 government of "capitulating to the gambling market".

He praised Ms Crouch's "courageous and principled choice" and stated Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "should be thoroughly ashamed" of prioritising "corporate interests over victims, profits over public health and greed over great".

MPs from all sides of your home participated his criticism. Former Tory leader Smith said it needs to be talked about 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 harmed by this dependency ... We require to do this extremely rapidly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the gaming market will make about ₤ 1bn as a result of this delay. That's wrong."

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