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 actually resigned over "delays" to a crackdown on maximum stakes for fixed-odds sports betting machines.

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 pushing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it might cost the lives of problem bettors.
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She tweeted: "Politicians reoccur but concepts remain with us permanently."

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

High stakes for fixed-odds wagering machines

' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering machines'

sports betting device stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The federal government has denied Labour declares that MPs had actually been led to think the cut would enter into force at the start of the next tax year, in April 2019. They suggested the cut had actually been planned to be introduced in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch stated: "Unfortunately, implementation of these modifications are now being postponed 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 makers.

"In addition, 2 individuals 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 federal government that ministers should comply with cumulative duty and can not disagree with policy, let alone 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 dedication to doing right."

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "should have huge credit not just for her project but for sticking up for her principles".

Fixed-odds wagering terminals generate ₤ 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, people can bet approximately ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic gambling establishment games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling advocates say the devices let players lose cash too quickly, causing addiction and social, psychological and financial issues.

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

In her reaction to Ms Crouch, the PM stated the government had listened to those who desired the modifications to come into effect sooner than April 2020 and "had actually concurred that the modifications need to remain in place within the year - by October 2019".

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

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

Who is Tracey Crouch?

The 43-year-old MP has actually represented Chatham and Aylesford, in Kent, because 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

Grammar 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 numerous Tory MPs, including Michael Howard and David Davis before standing for election

She had her first child in 2016 and is thought to have been the 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 gambling industry".

He applauded Ms Crouch's "bold and principled choice" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "ought to be completely embarrassed" of prioritising "corporate interests over victims, earnings over public health and greed over excellent".

MPs from all sides of your house participated in his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith stated it must 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 individuals 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 sports betting industry will make about ₤ 1bn as an outcome of this hold-up. That's wrong."

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