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 sports betting devices.

Chancellor Philip Hammond said in Monday's Budget that the cut in stakes from ₤ 100 to ₤ 2 would enter force in October 2019.

Ms Crouch stated pressing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it could cost the lives of problem bettors.

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

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

High stakes for fixed-odds sports betting devices

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

sports betting maker stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The government has actually rejected Labour claims that MPs had actually been led to think the cut would come into force at the start of the next tax year, in April 2019. They suggested the cut had been planned to be introduced in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch said: "Unfortunately, execution of these changes are now being delayed till 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 machines.

"In addition, 2 people will tragically 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 truth of federal government that ministers need to comply with collective duty and can not disagree with policy, not to mention when it is policy made versus your dreams connecting 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" adding: "May God bless her dedication to doing right."

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "is worthy of substantial credit not just for her campaign however for sticking up for her concepts".

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

Currently, people can bet as much as ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic gambling establishment video games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling advocates say the makers let gamers lose money too rapidly, causing dependency and social, mental and monetary issues.

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

In her response to Ms Crouch, the PM stated the federal government had listened to those who desired the modifications to come into impact quicker 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 stated the modification to fixed-odds stakes would enter force next October at the same time as modifications to responsibility charged on sports betting firms based abroad but operating in the UK.

The federal government states co-ordinating the date of the 2 modifications 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, given 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

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 numerous Tory MPs, consisting of Michael Howard and David Davis before representing 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 government of "capitulating to the gaming market".

He applauded Ms Crouch's "courageous and principled choice" and stated Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "ought to be thoroughly ashamed" 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 talked about as part of the Finance Bill later on 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 addiction ... We need to do this really quickly, as quickly as we can and in the meantime, the sports betting market 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 attempt and generate the changes next April.