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

1 November 2018

sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has actually resigned over "hold-ups" 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 enter into force in October 2019.

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

She tweeted: "Politicians come and go but principles stick with us permanently."

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

High stakes for fixed-odds wagering devices

' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering devices'

sports betting device stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

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

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch said: "Unfortunately, application of these changes are now being delayed till 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 lower stakes and its execution, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these machines.

"In addition, two individuals will unfortunately take their lives every day due to gambling-related problems and, because of that as much as any other, I think this delay is unjustifiable."

She added: "It is a truth of government that ministers need to stick to 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 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 project however for sticking up for her principles".

Fixed-odds wagering terminals produce ₤ 1.8 bn in revenue a year for the sports betting industry, according to the Gambling Commission, external, and taxes of ₤ 400m for the government.

Currently, people can bet up to ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic gambling establishment games such as roulette. Anti-gambling campaigners say the makers let players lose cash too quickly, leading to dependency and social, mental and monetary problems.

But bookmakers have 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 changes to come into impact quicker than April 2020 and "had actually concurred that the modifications need to remain in location 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 modifications to duty charged on sports betting firms based abroad but running in the UK.

The government states co-ordinating the date of the two changes would mean the federal government would not be hit by a fall in tax revenue.

Who is Tracey Crouch?

The 43-year-old MP has actually 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 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

She had worked for different Tory MPs, including Michael Howard and David Davis before meaning election

She had her very first kid in 2016 and is believed 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 sports betting market".

He praised Ms Crouch's "courageous and principled choice" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "should be completely embarrassed" of prioritising "corporate interests over victims, profits over public health and greed over excellent".

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

Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill

He informed the BBC: "There are plenty of people whose lives have actually been harmed by this addiction ... We need to do this very quickly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the gambling industry will make about ₤ 1bn as a result of this delay. That's not ideal."

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