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

1 November 2018

sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has actually resigned over "delays" to a crackdown on maximum stakes for fixed-odds wagering devices.

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 might cost the lives of issue gamblers.

She tweeted: "Politicians reoccur but concepts stick with us permanently."

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

High stakes for fixed-odds sports betting makers

' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering machines'

sports betting maker stakes to be cut to ₤ 2
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The federal government has actually rejected Labour claims 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 been intended to be introduced in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch said: "Unfortunately, execution of these modifications are now being delayed 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 lower stakes and its application, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these devices.

"In addition, 2 individuals will unfortunately take their lives every day due to gambling-related problems and, because of that as much as any other, I think this hold-up is unjustifiable."

She included: "It is a truth of federal government that ministers must abide by cumulative duty 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 brave" adding: "May God bless her commitment to doing right."

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "is worthy of huge credit not simply for her campaign but for sticking up for her principles".

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

Currently, people can wager up to ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic gambling establishment games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling advocates say the machines let gamers lose money too rapidly, leading to addiction and social, mental and monetary problems.

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

In her action to Ms Crouch, the PM stated the government had listened to those who desired the modifications to come into effect faster than April 2020 and "had actually concurred that the modifications must be in location within the year - by October 2019".

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

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

Who is Tracey Crouch?

The 43-year-old MP has represented Chatham and Aylesford, in Kent, because 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 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 been the 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 "bold and principled decision" and stated Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "should be thoroughly embarrassed" of prioritising "corporate interests over victims, earnings over public health and greed over great".
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MPs from all sides of the House participated in his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith stated it must be discussed as part of the Finance Bill later on this month.

Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill

He told the BBC: "There are lots of individuals whose lives have been damaged by this dependency ... We need to do this extremely quickly, as quickly as we can and in the meantime, the gambling market will make about ₤ 1bn as an outcome of this hold-up. That's not ideal."

Labour has told the BBC that they will put down a modification to the Finance Bill to try and bring in the modifications next April.