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 wagering 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 pressing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it could cost the lives of problem gamblers.

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

Prime Minister Theresa May stated she was disappointed Ms Crouch had actually resigned but there had actually been "no delay in bringing forward this crucial procedure".

High stakes for fixed-odds wagering devices

' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering machines'

sports betting maker stakes to be cut to ₤ 2
bet9ja.com
The federal government has actually rejected Labour declares 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 the cut had actually been meant to be presented in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch stated: "Unfortunately, application of these changes are now being delayed up until October 2019 due to dedications made by others to those with registered interests.

This Twitter post can not be displayed in your web browser. Please allow Javascript or attempt a different browser.View initial material on Twitter The BBC is not accountable for the material of external sites.

Skip twitter post by Tracey Crouch

Allow Twitter material?

This article contains content offered by Twitter. We request for your authorization before anything is loaded, as they may be utilizing cookies and other technologies. You may desire to read Twitter's cookie policy, external and personal privacy policy, external before accepting. To see this material pick 'accept and continue'.

Accept and continue

The BBC is not accountable for the content of external sites.

End of twitter post by Tracey Crouch
bit.ly
"From the time of the announcement to lower stakes and its execution, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these makers.

"In addition, two people will unfortunately take their lives every day due to gambling-related problems and, for that reason as much as any other, I believe this delay is unjustifiable."

She added: "It is a fact of government that ministers need to comply with cumulative obligation and can not disagree with policy, not to mention when it is policy made versus your desires connecting to your own portfolio."
bet9ja.com
'God bless'

Among those praising her on social media, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby tweeted, external that she was "principled and courageous" including: "May God bless her commitment 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 principles".

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

Currently, individuals can wager up to ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino video games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling campaigners say the machines let players lose cash too rapidly, leading to addiction and social, psychological and monetary problems.

But bookies have cautioned the cut in stakes could result in countless outlets closing.

In her reaction to Ms Crouch, the PM said the federal government had actually listened to those who desired the changes to come into result sooner than April 2020 and "had actually agreed 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 enter force next October at the exact 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 two modifications would mean the federal government would not be struck by a fall in tax earnings.

Who is Tracey Crouch?

The 43-year-old MP has actually represented Chatham and Aylesford, in Kent, since 2010

She was promoted to the front bench as sports betting minister in 2015
bet9ja.com
She is understood for her opposition to fox searching 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 different Tory MPs, consisting of Michael Howard and David Davis before representing election

She had her first kid in 2016 and is believed to have been the first Tory minister to take maternity leave
bit.ly
But in the Commons on Thursday, Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson accused the government of "capitulating to the gambling market".

He applauded Ms Crouch's "courageous and principled decision" and stated Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "must be completely ashamed" of prioritising "corporate interests over victims, revenues over public health and greed over great".

MPs from all sides of the House took part his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith stated it ought to be gone over as part of the Finance Bill later this month.

Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill

He informed the BBC: "There are lots of people whose lives have actually been harmed by this dependency ... We need to do this extremely quickly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the sports betting industry will make about ₤ 1bn as a result of this delay. That's wrong."

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