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sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'delay' to sports betting crackdown

1 November 2018

sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has resigned over "hold-ups" to a crackdown on maximum stakes for makers.

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 pushing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it could cost the lives of issue bettors.

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

Prime Minister Theresa May stated she was disappointed Ms Crouch had resigned but there had been "no hold-up in advancing this important step".

High stakes for fixed-odds wagering machines

' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering devices'

sports betting machine stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The federal government has actually rejected 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 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 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 machines.

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

She included: "It is a fact of government that ministers need to stick to cumulative responsibility and can not disagree with policy, not to mention when it is policy made versus 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 bold" including: "May God bless her commitment to doing right."

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "deserves big credit not simply for her project however for sticking up for her principles".

Fixed-odds wagering terminals produce ₤ 1.8 bn in earnings 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 up to ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino video games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling advocates say the makers let gamers lose cash too quickly, resulting in dependency and social, mental and monetary issues.

But bookies have cautioned the cut in stakes might lead to thousands of outlets closing.

In her action to Ms Crouch, the PM stated the federal government had listened to those who desired the changes to come into result sooner than April 2020 and "had agreed that the modifications need to remain in location within the year - by October 2019".

In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor said the change to fixed-odds stakes would come into force next October at the exact same time as changes to duty charged on gambling companies based abroad but running in the UK.

The federal government says co-ordinating the date of the two modifications would imply the federal government would not be struck by a fall in tax earnings.

Who is Tracey Crouch?

The 43-year-old MP has 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 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 first kid in 2016 and is thought to have been the very first Tory minister to take maternity leave

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

He applauded Ms Crouch's "courageous 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 good".

MPs from all sides of your house took part his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said it ought to be discussed as part of the Finance Bill later this month.

Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill
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He informed the BBC: "There are lots of people whose lives have actually been harmed by this addiction ... We require to do this extremely rapidly, as quickly as we can and in the meantime, the gambling market will make about ₤ 1bn as an outcome of this delay. That's wrong."

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