sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'delay' to sports betting crackdown
1 November 2018
sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has actually resigned over "hold-ups" to a crackdown on optimal stakes for fixed-odds wagering devices.
Chancellor Philip Hammond stated in Monday's Budget that the cut in stakes from ₤ 100 to ₤ 2 would enter force in October 2019.
Ms Crouch said pressing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it might cost the lives of issue bettors.
She tweeted: "Politicians come and go but principles stay with us forever."
Prime Minister Theresa May said she was dissatisfied Ms Crouch had actually resigned however there had actually been "no delay in bringing forward this important measure".
High stakes for fixed-odds wagering machines
' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering devices'
sports betting device stakes to be cut to ₤ 2
The government has actually rejected Labour claims that MPs had been led to think the cut would come into force at the start of the next tax year, in April 2019. They recommended the cut had actually been planned to be introduced in April 2020.
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But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch said: "Unfortunately, implementation 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 application, 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, for that factor as much as any other, I believe this delay is unjustifiable."
She added: "It is a fact of government that ministers should comply with cumulative obligation and can not disagree with policy, not to mention 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 courageous" including: "May God bless her dedication to doing right."
Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "should have big credit not simply for her project but for sticking up for her concepts".
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Fixed-odds sports betting terminals generate ₤ 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, people can wager as much as ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic gambling establishment games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling advocates say the machines let gamers lose cash too rapidly, leading to addiction and social, mental and financial problems.
But have warned the cut in stakes could cause thousands of outlets closing.
In her response to Ms Crouch, the PM stated the government had actually listened to those who wanted the changes to come into effect quicker than April 2020 and "had actually concurred that the modifications ought 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 enter into force next October at the very same time as modifications to responsibility charged on gaming companies based abroad but running in the UK.
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The federal government says co-ordinating the date of the 2 modifications would suggest the 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, given that 2010
She was promoted to the front bench as sports betting minister in 2015
She is understood for her opposition to fox hunting 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 various Tory MPs, consisting of Michael Howard and David Davis before meaning election
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She had her very first kid in 2016 and is believed to have actually been the first Tory minister to take maternity leave
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But in the Commons on Thursday, Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson implicated the government of "capitulating to the sports betting market".
He praised Ms Crouch's "bold and principled choice" and stated Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "need to be completely ashamed" of prioritising "corporate interests over victims, earnings over public health and greed over good".
MPs from all sides of the House took part his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith stated it must be discussed as part of the Finance Bill later this month.
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Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill
He informed the BBC: "There are plenty of people whose lives have actually been damaged by this addiction ... We require to do this extremely quickly, as quickly as we can and in the meantime, the gaming market will make about ₤ 1bn as an outcome of this hold-up. That's not right."
Labour has actually told the BBC that they will put down a modification to the Finance Bill to try and generate the modifications next April.
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Sports Minister Tracey Crouch Resigns over 'Hold up' To Betting Crackdown
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