GitLab

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

1 November 2018

sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has resigned over "delays" to a crackdown on optimal stakes for fixed-odds sports betting devices.
bit.ly
Chancellor Philip Hammond stated in Monday's Budget that the cut in stakes from ₤ 100 to ₤ 2 would enter into force in October 2019.

Ms Crouch said pressing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it might cost the lives of issue gamblers.

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

Prime Minister Theresa May stated she was disappointed Ms Crouch had actually resigned but there had actually been "no delay in bringing forward this crucial measure".

High stakes for fixed-odds wagering machines

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

sports betting device stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The federal government has denied Labour claims 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 suggested the cut had been planned to be presented in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch said: "Unfortunately, execution of these changes are now being postponed till October 2019 due to commitments made by others to those with signed up interests.

This Twitter post can not be shown in your browser. Please enable Javascript or attempt a different browser.View original material on Twitter The BBC is not accountable for the content of external sites.

Skip twitter post by Tracey Crouch

Allow Twitter material?

This short article contains content provided by Twitter. We request for your authorization before anything is filled, as they might be utilizing cookies and other innovations. You might want to read Twitter's cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content select 'accept and continue'.

Accept and continue

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

End of twitter post by Tracey Crouch

"From the time of the statement to decrease stakes and its implementation, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these machines.
bet9ja.com
"In addition, 2 people will tragically take their lives every day due to gambling-related problems and, for that reason as much as any other, I think this hold-up is unjustifiable."

She added: "It is a reality of government that ministers must comply with cumulative responsibility and can not disagree with policy, let alone when it is policy made against your wishes relating 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 brave" including: "May God bless her dedication to doing right."

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "is worthy of big credit not just for her campaign but for sticking up for her concepts".
bet9ja.com
Fixed-odds sports betting terminals generate ₤ 1.8 bn in profits a year for the wagering market, 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 casino video games such as roulette. Anti-gambling advocates say the devices let players lose money too rapidly, causing dependency and social, psychological and financial issues.

But bookies have actually cautioned the cut in stakes might result in thousands of outlets closing.

In her reaction to Ms Crouch, the PM said the federal government had actually listened to those who wanted the modifications to come into impact sooner than April 2020 and "had concurred that the modifications should be in location within the year - by October 2019".
bit.ly
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 gambling companies based abroad however running in the UK.

The federal government says co-ordinating the date of the 2 modifications would mean the government would not be hit by a fall in tax revenue.

Who is Tracey Crouch?

The 43-year-old MP has 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 certified FA coach

Grammar school educated at Folkestone School for Girls, she went on to get a degree in law and politics from Hull University
bet9ja.com
She had actually worked for numerous Tory MPs, including Michael Howard and David Davis before standing for election
bet9ja.com
She had her very first kid in 2016 and is believed to have actually been the very first Tory minister to take maternity leave
bet9ja.com
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 stated Culture Jeremy Wright "should be completely embarrassed" of prioritising "business interests over victims, earnings over public health and greed over excellent".

MPs from all sides of your house signed up with in his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said it ought to be gone over as part of the Finance Bill later on this month.

Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill

He told the BBC: "There are lots of individuals whose lives have actually been damaged by this addiction ... We require to do this really quickly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the gaming industry will make about ₤ 1bn as a result of this delay. That's not right."

Labour has informed the BBC that they will put down an amendment to the Finance Bill to try and generate the changes next April.