Sports Minister Tracey Crouch Resigns over 'Delay' To Betting Crackdown

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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 sports betting machines.

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

Ms Crouch said pushing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it could cost the lives of issue bettors.

She tweeted: "Politicians reoccur but concepts remain with us permanently."

Prime Minister Theresa May stated she was disappointed Ms Crouch had actually resigned but there had actually been "no hold-up in bringing forward this important step".
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High stakes for fixed-odds wagering makers
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' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering makers'

sports betting maker stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The federal 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 presented in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch said: "Unfortunately, implementation of these modifications are now being postponed until 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
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"From the time of the announcement to lower stakes and its application, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these devices.

"In addition, 2 people will unfortunately take their lives every day due to gambling-related problems and, for that reason as much as any other, I believe this delay is unjustifiable."

She included: "It is a reality of government that ministers should comply with cumulative responsibility and can not disagree with policy, let alone when it is policy made versus your desires 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 bold" adding: "May God bless her commitment to doing right."

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "is worthy of big credit not just for her project however for sticking up for her concepts".

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

Currently, individuals can wager up to ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic gambling establishment games such as roulette. Anti-gambling advocates state the machines let players lose money too quickly, causing dependency and social, psychological and monetary issues.
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But bookmakers have alerted the cut in stakes might cause 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 place within the year - by October 2019".

In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor said the change to fixed-odds stakes would enter into force next October at the exact same time as changes to duty charged on sports betting firms based abroad but running in the UK.

The government says co-ordinating the date of the two modifications would indicate 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, considering that 2010

She was 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 competent 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 standing for election

She had her very first kid in 2016 and is thought to have 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 industry".

He applauded Ms Crouch's "brave and principled choice" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "need to be thoroughly ashamed" of prioritising "business interests over victims, earnings over public health and greed over great".

MPs from all sides of the House participated in his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said it needs 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 a lot of individuals whose lives have actually been damaged by this dependency ... We need to do this extremely quickly, as quickly as we can and in the meantime, the gaming market will make about ₤ 1bn as a result of this hold-up. That's not best."

Labour has informed the BBC that they will put down a modification to the Finance Bill to attempt and generate the changes next April.