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

1 November 2018

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

Chancellor Philip Hammond said in Monday's Budget that the cut in stakes from ₤ 100 to ₤ 2 would enter into 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 however principles stick with us forever."

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

High stakes for fixed-odds wagering makers

' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering makers'
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sports betting machine stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The government has denied Labour claims that MPs had actually 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 been meant to be presented in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch stated: "Unfortunately, implementation of these modifications are now being postponed till October 2019 due to commitments 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 lower stakes and its implementation, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these machines.
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"In addition, 2 individuals will tragically take their lives every day due to gambling-related problems and, for that factor as much as any other, I think this hold-up is unjustifiable."

She added: "It is a truth of federal government that ministers should stick to collective duty and can not disagree with policy, let alone when it is policy made against your wishes 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 brave" including: "May God bless her dedication to doing right."

Former Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "is worthy of substantial credit not simply for her campaign however for sticking up for her principles".

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

Currently, people can wager approximately ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic gambling establishment games such as roulette. Anti-gambling campaigners state the machines let gamers lose cash too rapidly, resulting in addiction and social, psychological and monetary issues.
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But bookies have alerted the cut in stakes could lead to countless outlets closing.

In her action to Ms Crouch, the PM said the government had listened to those who wanted the modifications to come into result faster than April 2020 and "had agreed that the changes should remain 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 very same time as changes to responsibility charged on sports betting firms based abroad but running in the UK.

The federal government states co-ordinating the date of the two changes would suggest 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, 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 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 various Tory MPs, consisting of Michael Howard and David Davis before representing 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 implicated the federal government of "capitulating to the sports betting industry".

He praised Ms Crouch's "brave and principled choice" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "must be completely embarrassed" of prioritising "business interests over victims, earnings over public health and greed over good".

MPs from all sides of your house participated his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said it should 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 plenty of individuals whose lives have actually been damaged by this dependency ... We need to do this very quickly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the gambling industry will make about ₤ 1bn as an outcome of this delay. That's not right."

Labour has actually informed the BBC that they will put down a change to the Finance Bill to try and bring in the changes next April.