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

1 November 2018

sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has actually resigned over "hold-ups" to a crackdown on maximum stakes for fixed-odds wagering 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 pressing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it might cost the lives of issue gamblers.

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

Prime Minister Theresa May said she was dissatisfied Ms Crouch had resigned however there had actually been "no delay in bringing forward this crucial step".

High stakes for fixed-odds wagering machines

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

sports betting machine stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

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 recommended the cut had actually been planned to be introduced in April 2020.

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

"In addition, two people will unfortunately take their lives every day due to gambling-related issues and, for that reason as much as any other, I think this delay is unjustifiable."

She included: "It is a reality of government that ministers should abide by collective responsibility and can not disagree with policy, let alone when it is policy made versus your desires relating to 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 "is worthy of big credit not simply for her campaign but for sticking up for her principles".

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

Currently, individuals can wager up to ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino video games such as roulette. Anti-gambling advocates state the machines let players lose money too rapidly, resulting in addiction and social, mental and monetary problems.

But bookies have cautioned the cut in stakes could result in thousands of outlets closing.

In her action to Ms Crouch, the PM said the government had listened to those who desired the modifications to come into impact sooner than April 2020 and "had agreed that the changes ought to remain in location within the year - by October 2019".

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

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

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 understood for her opposition to fox hunting and her love of football - she is a qualified FA coach

Grammar 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 standing for election

She had her first child in 2016 and is believed 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 accused the federal government of "capitulating to the sports betting industry".

He applauded Ms Crouch's "bold and principled decision" and stated Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "should be completely embarrassed" of prioritising "corporate interests over victims, earnings over public health and greed over excellent".

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

Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill

He informed the BBC: "There are plenty of people whose lives have actually been harmed by this addiction ... We require to do this really quickly, as quickly as we can and in the meantime, the gaming industry will make about ₤ 1bn as an outcome 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 generate the changes next April.