sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'delay' to sports betting crackdown
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1 November 2018
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sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has actually resigned over "hold-ups" 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 come into force in October 2019.

Ms Crouch stated pushing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it could cost the lives of problem bettors.
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She tweeted: "Politicians come and go however principles stay with us forever."

Prime Minister Theresa May said she was disappointed Ms Crouch had resigned however there had actually been "no delay in bringing forward this essential measure".

High stakes for fixed-odds wagering makers

' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering machines'

sports betting device stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The federal government has rejected Labour claims that MPs had 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 intended to be introduced in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch stated: "Unfortunately, execution of these modifications are now being postponed up until October 2019 due to dedications made by others to those with signed up interests.

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End of twitter post by Tracey Crouch

"From the time of the statement to lower stakes and its execution, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these machines.
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"In addition, 2 people will unfortunately take their lives every day due to gambling-related problems and, for that reason as much as any other, I think this delay is unjustifiable."

She added: "It is a truth of government that ministers must adhere to cumulative duty 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 media, 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 "is worthy of huge credit not simply for her campaign but for sticking up for her principles".

Fixed-odds sports betting terminals produce ₤ 1.8 bn in profits a year for the sports betting market, 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 roulette. Anti-gambling advocates state the machines let players lose cash too quickly, causing addiction and social, psychological and financial issues.

But bookmakers have alerted the cut in stakes might lead to 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 impact sooner than April 2020 and "had actually agreed that the changes need to remain in location within the year - by October 2019".

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

The federal government says co-ordinating the date of the 2 modifications would mean the 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, because 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 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

She had actually worked for numerous Tory MPs, including Michael Howard and David Davis before standing for election

She had her first child in 2016 and is thought to have actually been the first Tory minister to take maternity leave

But in the Commons on Thursday, Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson accused the government of "capitulating to the gambling industry".

He praised Ms Crouch's "brave and principled choice" and stated Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "should be completely embarrassed" of prioritising "business interests over victims, revenues over public health and greed over great".

MPs from all sides of the House joined in his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said it should be gone over 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 people whose lives have actually been harmed by this dependency ... 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 not ideal."

Labour has told the BBC that they will put down an amendment to the Finance Bill to attempt and the modifications next April.
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