1 Sports Minister Tracey Crouch Resigns over 'Hold-up' To Betting Crackdown

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sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'hold-up' to wagering crackdown
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1 November 2018

sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has resigned over "delays" 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 stated pressing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it could cost the lives of issue bettors.

She tweeted: "Politicians come and go however concepts stay with us permanently."

Prime Minister Theresa May said she was dissatisfied Ms Crouch had actually resigned however there had been "no hold-up in advancing this essential procedure".

High stakes for fixed-odds sports betting machines

' I lost ₤ 250,000 on sports betting machines'

stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The federal government has denied 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 recommended the cut had actually been intended to be presented in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch stated: "Unfortunately, application of these modifications are now being delayed 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 announcement to minimize stakes and its implementation, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these machines.

"In addition, 2 people will tragically take their lives every day due to gambling-related problems and, because of that as much as any other, I believe this delay is unjustifiable."

She added: "It is a truth of government that ministers must comply with cumulative obligation and can not disagree with policy, not to mention when it is policy made against your dreams associating with 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" including: "May God bless her dedication to doing right."

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "deserves substantial credit not just for her campaign however for sticking up for her concepts".

Fixed-odds wagering terminals create ₤ 1.8 bn in income a year for the sports betting market, 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 live roulette. Anti-gambling campaigners say the devices let gamers lose cash too quickly, leading to dependency and social, mental and financial problems.

But bookies have warned the cut in stakes could cause thousands of outlets closing.

In her response to Ms Crouch, the PM said the federal government had listened to those who wanted the modifications to come into result faster than April 2020 and "had actually agreed that the modifications need to be in place within the year - by October 2019".

In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor said the modification to fixed-odds stakes would enter force next October at the exact same time as changes to responsibility charged on sports betting firms based abroad but running in the UK.

The government says co-ordinating the date of the 2 changes would suggest the federal government would not be struck by a fall in tax profits.

Who is Tracey Crouch?

The 43-year-old MP has represented Chatham and Aylesford, in Kent, since 2010

She was promoted to the front bench as sports betting minister in 2015

She is known for her opposition to fox searching and her love of football - she is a competent FA coach

Grade 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 various Tory MPs, including Michael Howard and David Davis before standing for election

She had her very first kid in 2016 and is believed 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 gaming industry".

He applauded Ms Crouch's "bold and principled choice" and stated Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "need to be completely embarrassed" of prioritising "business interests over victims, profits over public health and greed over good".

MPs from all sides of your house participated his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith stated it should be gone over as part of the Finance Bill later this month.
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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 need to do this extremely quickly, 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 informed the BBC that they will put down a modification to the Finance Bill to try and generate the modifications next April.