Sports Minister Tracey Crouch Resigns Over Hold-up To Betting Crackdown
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sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'delay' to wagering crackdown
1 November 2018
sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has resigned over "delays" to a crackdown on optimal stakes for fixed-odds wagering 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 back the date was "unjustifiable" and it could cost the lives of problem gamblers.
She tweeted: "Politicians reoccur but concepts remain with us permanently."
Prime Minister Theresa May stated she was disappointed Ms Crouch had resigned however there had actually been "no hold-up in bringing forward this crucial measure".
High stakes for fixed-odds sports betting machines
' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering devices'
sports betting maker stakes to be cut to ₤ 2
The government has 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 been planned to be introduced 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 dedications 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 lower stakes and its implementation, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these machines.
"In addition, 2 individuals will tragically take their lives every day due to gambling-related problems and, for that reason as much as any other, I believe this hold-up is unjustifiable."
She included: "It is a truth of government that ministers need to adhere to cumulative responsibility and can not disagree with policy, let alone when it is policy made versus your desires relating to your own portfolio."
'God bless'
Among those applauding her on social networks, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby tweeted, external that she was "principled and courageous" including: "May God bless her dedication to doing right."
Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "is worthy of big credit not simply for her project however for sticking up for her concepts".
Fixed-odds wagering terminals create ₤ 1.8 bn in earnings a year for the wagering market, according to the Gambling Commission, external, and taxes of ₤ 400m for the federal government.
Currently, individuals can bet approximately ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling advocates say the makers let players lose cash too quickly, leading to dependency and social, psychological and monetary issues.
But bookmakers have cautioned the cut in stakes could result in thousands of outlets closing.
In her action to Ms Crouch, the PM said the federal government had actually listened to those who wanted the modifications to come into impact earlier than April 2020 and "had agreed that the modifications should be in location within the year - by October 2019".
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In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor said the change to fixed-odds stakes would come into force next October at the very same time as changes to duty charged on sports betting firms based abroad but running in the UK.
The federal government says co-ordinating the date of the 2 modifications would mean the federal government would not be hit by a fall in tax income.
Who is Tracey Crouch?
The 43-year-old MP has actually represented Chatham and Aylesford, in Kent, considering that 2010
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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 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 worked for various Tory MPs, consisting of Michael Howard and David Davis before representing election
She had her first child 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 sports betting industry".
He applauded Ms Crouch's "courageous and principled decision" and stated Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "must be completely embarrassed" of prioritising "corporate interests over victims, earnings over public health and greed over good".
MPs from all sides of your home signed up with in his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said it ought 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 lots of individuals whose lives have been harmed by this dependency ... We need to do this very rapidly, as quickly as we can and in the meantime, the sports betting industry will make about ₤ 1bn as an outcome of this delay. That's wrong."
Labour has informed the BBC that they will put down a change to the Finance Bill to attempt and bring in the changes next April.
