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

1 November 2018

sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has actually resigned over "delays" 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 stated pressing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it might cost the lives of issue gamblers.

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

Prime Minister Theresa May stated she was disappointed Ms Crouch had actually resigned but there had actually been "no hold-up in bringing forward this essential measure".

High stakes for fixed-odds wagering makers

' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering makers'

sports betting maker stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The federal government has actually denied Labour declares that MPs had actually been led to believe the cut would enter 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 said: "Unfortunately, execution of these modifications are now being postponed 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 announcement to decrease stakes and its execution, 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 problems 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 need to comply with collective responsibility and can not disagree with policy, not to mention when it is policy made versus your dreams relating 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 bold" adding: "May God bless her dedication to doing right."

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "deserves huge credit not simply for her campaign but for sticking up for her concepts".

Fixed-odds wagering terminals create ₤ 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, people can wager as much as ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino video games such as roulette. Anti-gambling campaigners state the devices let players lose cash too rapidly, causing dependency and social, psychological and monetary problems.

But bookmakers have cautioned the cut in stakes might lead to thousands of outlets closing.

In her reaction to Ms Crouch, the PM said the government had actually listened to those who desired the modifications to come into result sooner than April 2020 and "had concurred that the modifications should be in place 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 exact same time as changes to duty charged on gaming companies 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 hit by a fall in tax income.

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 competent 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 various Tory MPs, including Michael Howard and David Davis before representing election

She had her very 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 implicated the government of "capitulating to the gambling market".

He applauded Ms Crouch's "bold and principled decision" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "must be completely embarrassed" of prioritising "corporate interests over victims, profits over public health and greed over great".

MPs from all sides of your home signed up with in his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said it needs to be talked about as part of the Finance Bill later this month.

Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill

He informed the BBC: "There are a lot of people whose lives have actually been harmed by this addiction ... We require to do this really rapidly, as rapidly 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 told the BBC that they will put down an amendment to the Finance Bill to attempt and generate the modifications next April.