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

1 November 2018

sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has resigned over "hold-ups" to a crackdown on optimal stakes for fixed-odds sports betting makers.

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

Ms Crouch stated pushing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it might cost the lives of issue bettors.
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She tweeted: "Politicians come and go however concepts remain with us permanently."

Prime Minister Theresa May stated she was dissatisfied Ms Crouch had resigned but there had been "no delay in bringing forward this crucial procedure".
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High stakes for fixed-odds wagering machines

' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering machines'

sports betting machine stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The federal government has actually claims that MPs had actually been led to think the cut would enter into force at the start of the next tax year, in April 2019. They recommended the cut had been planned to be presented in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch said: "Unfortunately, application of these modifications are now being postponed 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 statement to minimize stakes and its implementation, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these machines.

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

She added: "It is a truth of government that ministers need to follow collective duty and can not disagree with policy, not to mention when it is policy made against your desires connecting to your own portfolio."

'God bless'

Among those praising her on social networks, 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 "deserves big credit not just for her project but for sticking up for her concepts".

Fixed-odds wagering terminals produce ₤ 1.8 bn in income a year for the sports betting industry, according to the Gambling Commission, external, and taxes of ₤ 400m for the federal government.
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Currently, individuals can bet approximately ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling advocates say the devices let gamers lose cash too rapidly, resulting in addiction and social, mental and financial issues.

But bookmakers have alerted the cut in stakes might cause countless outlets closing.

In her action to Ms Crouch, the PM stated the government had listened to those who wanted the changes to come into effect sooner than April 2020 and "had actually concurred that the changes ought to 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 exact same time as modifications to duty charged on gambling companies based abroad but operating in the UK.

The federal government says co-ordinating the date of the 2 changes would imply the government would not be struck by a fall in tax profits.

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 searching and her love of football - she is a certified FA coach

Grammar school informed at Folkestone School for Girls, she went on to get a degree in law and politics from Hull University
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She had worked for numerous Tory MPs, including Michael Howard and David Davis before standing for election

She had her very first kid 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 accused the federal government of "capitulating to the sports betting market".

He applauded Ms Crouch's "brave and principled decision" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "must be completely embarrassed" of prioritising "business interests over victims, earnings over public health and greed over excellent".
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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 informed the BBC: "There are a lot of people whose lives have been damaged by this addiction ... We need to do this extremely rapidly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the sports betting market will make about ₤ 1bn as an outcome of this delay. That's wrong."

Labour has told the BBC that they will put down a change to the Finance Bill to attempt and generate the changes next April.