sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'hold-up' to wagering crackdown

1 November 2018

sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has actually resigned over "hold-ups" to a crackdown on maximum stakes for fixed-odds wagering devices.

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 stated pushing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it might cost the lives of issue gamblers.

She tweeted: "Politicians come and go however principles stay with us forever."

Prime Minister Theresa May stated she was dissatisfied Ms Crouch had resigned but there had actually been "no delay in advancing this essential procedure".

High stakes for fixed-odds wagering makers

' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering machines'

sports betting machine stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The federal government has actually denied Labour declares that MPs had been led to believe the cut would enter into force at the start of the next tax year, in April 2019. They recommended the cut had 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 until October 2019 due to dedications made by others to those with signed up interests.

This Twitter post can not be shown in your browser. Please allow Javascript or attempt a various browser.View initial material on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Skip twitter post by Tracey Crouch

Allow Twitter material?
bet9ja.com
This post consists of content offered by Twitter. We request for your approval before anything is loaded, as they might be utilizing cookies and other technologies. You might wish to check out Twitter's cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this material select 'accept and continue'.
bet9ja.com
Accept and continue

The BBC is not accountable for the material of external sites.

End of twitter post by Tracey Crouch

"From the time of the statement to minimize stakes and its execution, 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, because of that as much as any other, I think this hold-up is unjustifiable."

She included: "It is a reality of federal government that ministers need to abide by collective responsibility and can not disagree with policy, let alone when it is policy made against your dreams connecting to your own portfolio."

'God bless'

Among those applauding her on social media, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby tweeted, external that she was "principled and brave" including: "May God bless her dedication to doing right."

Former Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "is worthy of huge credit not simply for her campaign however for sticking up for her concepts".
bit.ly
Fixed-odds sports betting terminals create ₤ 1.8 bn in earnings a year for the sports betting market, according to the Gambling Commission, external, and taxes of ₤ 400m for the federal government.

Currently, individuals can wager approximately ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino video games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling advocates say the machines let players lose money too rapidly, resulting in addiction and social, psychological and financial problems.

But bookies have alerted the cut in stakes could result in countless outlets closing.

In her action to Ms Crouch, the PM stated the government had listened to those who desired the modifications to come into effect faster than April 2020 and "had concurred that the changes should be in place within the year - by October 2019".

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

The government states co-ordinating the date of the 2 modifications would indicate the government would not be hit by a fall in tax profits.

Who is Tracey Crouch?

The 43-year-old MP has actually represented Chatham and Aylesford, in Kent, given that 2010
bet9ja.com
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 competent 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 different Tory MPs, consisting of Michael Howard and David Davis before standing for election

She had her very first child in 2016 and is thought 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 federal government of "capitulating to the gaming market".

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

MPs from all sides of the House signed up with in his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said it needs to be talked about as part of the Finance Bill later this month.

Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill

He told the BBC: "There are a lot of people whose lives have been harmed by this addiction ... We need to do this extremely rapidly, as quickly as we can and in the meantime, the gambling market will make about ₤ 1bn as a result of this hold-up. That's not best."

Labour has informed the BBC that they will put down a change to the Finance Bill to try and bring in the changes next April.