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 come into force in October 2019.
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Ms Crouch stated pushing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it could cost the lives of problem gamblers.

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

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

High stakes for fixed-odds wagering makers

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

sports betting maker stakes to be cut to ₤ 2
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The federal government has actually denied Labour declares that MPs had been led to believe the cut would come into force at the start of the next tax year, in April 2019. They suggested the cut had actually been intended to be presented in April 2020.
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But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch said: "Unfortunately, implementation of these modifications are now being delayed up 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 announcement to reduce stakes and its implementation, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these makers.

"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 think this delay is unjustifiable."

She included: "It is a reality of federal government that ministers must stick to cumulative obligation and can not disagree with policy, let alone when it is policy made against your wishes relating to your own portfolio."

'God bless'
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Among those praising her on social media, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby tweeted, external that she was "principled and courageous" including: "May God bless her commitment to doing right."

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

Fixed-odds wagering terminals generate ₤ 1.8 bn in earnings a year for the sports betting industry, according to the Gambling Commission, external, and taxes of ₤ 400m for the federal government.
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Currently, individuals can wager up to ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino video games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling campaigners state the machines let players lose money too rapidly, causing addiction and social, psychological and monetary issues.

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

In her response to Ms Crouch, the PM said the federal government had listened to those who desired the changes to come into impact quicker than April 2020 and "had actually agreed that the modifications 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 enter force next October at the very same time as changes to responsibility charged on sports betting firms based abroad but running in the UK.

The government says 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, since 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

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 different Tory MPs, consisting of Michael Howard and David Davis before standing for election

She had her very first kid in 2016 and is believed to have actually been the very first Tory minister to take maternity leave

But in the Commons on Thursday, leader Tom Watson accused the government of "capitulating to the gambling market".

He applauded Ms Crouch's "bold and principled choice" and stated Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "must be completely ashamed" of prioritising "corporate interests over victims, revenues over public health and greed over great".

MPs from all sides of your house took part his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith stated it needs to 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 actually been damaged by this dependency ... We require to do this really rapidly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the gaming industry will make about ₤ 1bn as a result of this hold-up. That's not ideal."

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