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

1 November 2018

sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has resigned over "hold-ups" 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 force in October 2019.

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

She tweeted: "Politicians reoccur but principles stay with us forever."

Prime Minister Theresa May stated she was dissatisfied Ms Crouch had actually resigned however there had been "no hold-up in advancing this essential procedure".

High stakes for fixed-odds wagering machines

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

sports betting device stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The federal 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 suggested the cut had been planned to be introduced in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch stated: "Unfortunately, application of these modifications are now being delayed until 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 statement to lower stakes and its implementation, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these machines.

"In addition, 2 people will unfortunately 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."

She included: "It is a reality of government that ministers should abide by collective duty and can not disagree with policy, let alone when it is policy made versus your wishes associating with 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 bold" adding: "May God bless her commitment to doing right."

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "deserves big credit not just for her project but for sticking up for her principles".

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

Currently, individuals can wager as much as ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic gambling establishment video games such as roulette. Anti-gambling advocates say the machines let gamers lose cash too rapidly, resulting in dependency and social, psychological and monetary issues.

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

In her response to Ms Crouch, the PM said the government had listened to those who desired the changes to come into effect earlier than April 2020 and "had agreed that the changes should be in location within the year - by October 2019".

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

The federal government states 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, given that 2010

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

She is known for her opposition to fox hunting 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 worked for various Tory MPs, consisting of Michael Howard and David Davis before standing for election

She had her first child in 2016 and is thought to have actually been the very 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 decision" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "should be thoroughly ashamed" of prioritising "business interests over victims, profits over public health and greed over good".

MPs from all sides of the House participated his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith stated it should be gone over 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 actually been harmed by this dependency ... We require to do this really rapidly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the gaming market will make about ₤ 1bn as a result of this hold-up. That's not right."

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