sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over ‘hold-up’ to sports betting crackdown
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1 November 2018
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sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has 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.

Ms Crouch stated pressing back the date was “unjustifiable” and it might cost the lives of issue bettors.

She tweeted: “Politicians come and go but concepts stick with us permanently.”

Prime Minister Theresa May said she was dissatisfied Ms Crouch had resigned however there had been “no delay in advancing this important measure”.

High stakes for fixed-odds sports betting devices

’ I lost ₤ 250,000 on sports betting devices’
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sports betting device 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 recommended the cut had actually been planned to be presented in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch said: “Unfortunately, implementation of these modifications are now being delayed up until 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 statement to and its implementation, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these makers.

“In addition, two individuals will tragically take their lives every day due to gambling-related issues and, for that factor as much as any other, I think this hold-up is unjustifiable.”

She added: “It is a fact of federal government that ministers should comply with collective obligation and can not disagree with policy, let alone when it is policy made against your wishes 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” including: “May God bless her commitment to doing right.”

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she “is worthy of substantial credit not simply for her project but for sticking up for her principles”.

Fixed-odds wagering terminals produce ₤ 1.8 bn in revenue a year for the wagering 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 casino games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling advocates say the devices let gamers lose money too rapidly, leading to dependency and social, psychological and monetary problems.

But bookmakers 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 effect sooner than April 2020 and “had concurred that the modifications must remain in location within the year - by October 2019”.

In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor stated the change to fixed-odds stakes would enter into force next October at the same time as changes to responsibility charged on gaming firms based abroad but operating in the UK.

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

Who is Tracey Crouch?

The 43-year-old MP has actually represented Chatham and Aylesford, in Kent, given that 2010
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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 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 numerous Tory MPs, including Michael Howard and David Davis before representing election

She had her very first kid 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 government of “capitulating to the gambling market”.

He applauded Ms Crouch’s “courageous and principled decision” and stated Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright “need to be completely ashamed” of prioritising “business interests over victims, revenues over public health and greed over excellent”.

MPs from all sides of the House participated 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
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He told the BBC: “There are lots of individuals whose lives have been harmed by this addiction … We require to do this extremely rapidly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the gaming market will make about ₤ 1bn as an outcome of this hold-up. 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.