sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'hold-up' to sports betting crackdown
1 November 2018
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sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has actually resigned over "hold-ups" to a crackdown on maximum stakes for fixed-odds sports betting machines.
Chancellor Philip Hammond stated 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 could cost the lives of problem gamblers.
She tweeted: "Politicians reoccur however principles stay with us forever."
Prime Minister Theresa May said she was dissatisfied Ms Crouch had resigned however there had actually been "no delay in advancing this crucial step".
High stakes for fixed-odds wagering machines
' I lost ₤ 250,000 on sports betting makers'
sports betting machine stakes to be cut to ₤ 2
The government has actually rejected Labour declares that MPs had actually been led to believe the cut would enter into force at the start of the next tax year, in April 2019. They suggested the cut had actually been intended to be introduced in April 2020.
But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch said: "Unfortunately, execution of these modifications are now being postponed 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 decrease stakes and its application, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these devices.
"In addition, two people will tragically take their lives every day due to gambling-related problems and, because of that as much as any other, I think this hold-up is unjustifiable."
She added: "It is a fact of government that ministers must stick to cumulative duty and can not disagree with policy, let alone when it is policy made versus your wishes relating to your own portfolio."
'God bless'
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Among those praising her on social networks, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby tweeted, external that she was "principled and bold" adding: "May God bless her dedication to doing right."
Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "deserves big credit not simply for her project but 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, people can bet up to ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino video games such as roulette. Anti-gambling campaigners say the machines let gamers lose money too quickly, resulting in addiction and social, psychological and monetary issues.
But bookmakers have actually warned the cut in stakes might cause of outlets closing.
In her reaction to Ms Crouch, the PM said the government had actually listened to those who desired the changes to come into impact sooner than April 2020 and "had agreed that the modifications ought to be in location 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 same time as modifications to responsibility charged on gaming companies based abroad but operating in the UK.
The federal government states co-ordinating the date of the two changes would mean the government would not be struck by a fall in tax earnings.
Who is Tracey Crouch?
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The 43-year-old MP has actually represented Chatham and Aylesford, in Kent, considering that 2010
She was promoted to the front bench as sports betting minister in 2015
She is understood for her opposition to fox searching and her love of football - she is a competent 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 worked for numerous Tory MPs, including Michael Howard and David Davis before meaning election
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She had her 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 accused the government of "capitulating to the gaming market".
He applauded Ms Crouch's "bold and principled decision" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "need to be completely embarrassed" of prioritising "corporate 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 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 plenty of individuals whose lives have actually been harmed by this dependency ... We need to do this extremely rapidly, as quickly as we can and in the meantime, the gaming market will make about ₤ 1bn as a result of this hold-up. That's wrong."
Labour has informed the BBC that they will put down a change to the Finance Bill to try and generate the changes next April.
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Sports Minister Tracey Crouch Resigns over 'Delay' To Betting Crackdown
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