sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'delay' to sports betting crackdown
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1 November 2018
sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has resigned over "hold-ups" to a crackdown on maximum stakes for fixed-odds sports betting makers.
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 said pressing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it might cost the lives of problem bettors.
She tweeted: "Politicians come and go but concepts stay with us permanently."
Prime Minister Theresa May stated she was dissatisfied Ms Crouch had resigned however there had actually been "no delay in bringing forward this crucial measure".
High stakes for fixed-odds sports betting devices
' I lost ₤ 250,000 on sports betting machines'
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sports betting maker stakes to be cut to ₤ 2
The government has actually denied Labour claims that MPs had actually been led to believe the cut would enter force at the start of the next tax year, in April 2019. They suggested the cut had actually been meant to be presented in April 2020.
But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch said: "Unfortunately, application of these changes are now being delayed 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 application, 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 hold-up is unjustifiable."
She included: "It is a truth of government that ministers need to comply with cumulative duty and can not disagree with policy, let alone when it is policy made against your desires relating to your own portfolio."
'God bless'
Among those praising her on social networks, the Archbishop of Welby tweeted, external that she was "principled and courageous" adding: "May God bless her commitment to doing right."
Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "is worthy of big credit not simply for her campaign however for sticking up for her concepts".
Fixed-odds wagering terminals generate ₤ 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.
Currently, individuals can bet as much as ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic gambling establishment games such as roulette. Anti-gambling advocates say the makers let players lose cash too rapidly, causing dependency and social, psychological and financial issues.
But bookies have actually warned the cut in stakes might result in thousands of outlets closing.
In her response to Ms Crouch, the PM said the government had actually listened to those who desired the changes to come into effect earlier than April 2020 and "had agreed that the changes ought to be in place within the year - by October 2019".
In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor said the change to fixed-odds stakes would enter force next October at the exact same time as modifications to responsibility charged on gaming companies based abroad however running in the UK.
The federal government states co-ordinating the date of the two modifications would imply the government would not be hit by a fall in tax earnings.
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 known for her opposition to fox hunting and her love of football - she is a qualified FA coach
Grammar 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
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She had her first child 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 gaming market".
He applauded Ms Crouch's "courageous and principled choice" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "ought to be completely ashamed" of prioritising "corporate interests over victims, revenues over public health and greed over great".
MPs from all sides of your house participated in his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said it must be discussed as part of the Finance Bill later this month.
Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill
He told the BBC: "There are plenty of individuals whose lives have been damaged by this dependency ... We require to do this very rapidly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the sports betting industry 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 modifications next April.
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Sports Minister Tracey Crouch Resigns over 'Delay' To Betting Crackdown
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