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 maximum stakes for fixed-odds wagering devices.

Chancellor Philip Hammond stated in Monday's Budget that the cut in stakes from ₤ 100 to ₤ 2 would come into force in October 2019.

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

She tweeted: "Politicians reoccur but principles stay with us permanently."

Prime Minister Theresa May said she was disappointed Ms Crouch had actually resigned however there had been "no delay in bringing forward this important procedure".
bet9ja.com
High stakes for fixed-odds sports betting machines

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

sports betting machine stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The government has rejected Labour claims that MPs had been led to think the cut would enter force at the start of the next tax year, in April 2019. They suggested the cut had been intended to be presented in April 2020.

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

This Twitter post can not be displayed in your browser. Please make it possible for Javascript or try a various browser.View initial material on Twitter The BBC is not accountable for the content of external sites.

Skip twitter post by Tracey Crouch
bet9ja.com
Allow Twitter material?

This short article contains material offered by Twitter. We request for your authorization before anything is packed, as they might be using cookies and other technologies. You might wish to check out Twitter's cookie policy, external and personal privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this material select 'accept and continue'.

Accept and continue

The BBC is not accountable for the content of external sites.

End of twitter post by Tracey Crouch

"From the time of the statement to reduce stakes and its execution, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these machines.
bet9ja.com
"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 delay is unjustifiable."

She included: "It is a reality of federal government that ministers need to follow collective obligation and can not disagree with policy, not to mention when it is policy made versus your wishes associating with 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 brave" adding: "May God bless her dedication to doing right."

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "deserves substantial credit not simply for her campaign but for sticking up for her concepts".
bet9ja.com
Fixed-odds wagering 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 government.

Currently, individuals can bet as much as ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic gambling establishment video games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling advocates state the machines let gamers lose cash too rapidly, resulting in dependency and social, psychological and financial problems.

But bookmakers have warned the cut in stakes might lead to countless outlets closing.

In her reaction to Ms Crouch, the PM said the government had actually listened to those who wanted the changes to come into result earlier than April 2020 and "had actually concurred that the changes 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 come into force next October at the same time as modifications to responsibility charged on sports betting firms based abroad but running in the UK.

The federal government says co-ordinating the date of the two modifications would mean the government 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, given that 2010

She was promoted to the front bench as sports betting minister in 2015
bet9ja.com
She is understood for her opposition to fox searching and her love of football - she is a qualified FA coach

Grammar school informed at for Girls, she went on to get a degree in law and politics from Hull University
bet9ja.com
She had actually worked for different Tory MPs, including Michael Howard and David Davis before representing election
bet9ja.com
She had her first kid in 2016 and is thought to have actually been the very 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 gaming market".

He applauded Ms Crouch's "courageous and principled choice" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "need to be completely ashamed" of prioritising "corporate interests over victims, revenues over public health and greed over great".

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

Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill

He informed the BBC: "There are lots of people whose lives have actually been harmed by this dependency ... We require to do this really quickly, as quickly as we can and in the meantime, the gambling industry will make about ₤ 1bn as a result of this hold-up. That's wrong."

Labour has told the BBC that they will put down an amendment to the Finance Bill to try and bring in the modifications next April.