sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'hold-up' to wagering 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.
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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 could cost the lives of issue gamblers.
She tweeted: "Politicians reoccur but principles stay with us forever."
Prime Minister Theresa May said she was dissatisfied Ms Crouch had resigned but there had been "no delay in bringing forward this crucial measure".
High stakes for fixed-odds wagering makers
' I lost ₤ 250,000 on sports betting machines'
sports betting device stakes to be cut to ₤ 2
The government has actually denied Labour declares that MPs had actually been led to believe the cut would enter into force at the start of the next tax year, in April 2019. They recommended the cut had actually been intended to be presented in April 2020.
But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch stated: "Unfortunately, implementation of these modifications are now being postponed up 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
"From the time of the statement to decrease stakes and its application, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these makers.
"In addition, 2 people will tragically take their lives every day due to gambling-related issues 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 should adhere to collective duty and can not disagree with policy, let alone when it is policy made against 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 bold" adding: "May God bless her commitment to doing right."
Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "should have substantial credit not just for her project but for sticking up for her principles".
Fixed-odds sports betting terminals generate ₤ 1.8 bn in revenue a year for the wagering market, according to the Gambling Commission, external, and taxes of ₤ 400m for the federal government.
Currently, people can bet up to ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic gambling establishment video games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling campaigners say the machines let players lose cash too rapidly, leading to addiction and social, mental and monetary problems.
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But bookies have alerted the cut in stakes might result in countless outlets closing.
In her response to Ms Crouch, the PM stated the federal government had listened to those who wanted the changes to come into effect quicker than April 2020 and "had actually agreed that the modifications ought to be in location within the year - by October 2019".
In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor said the modification to fixed-odds stakes would enter into force next October at the same time as to task charged on gaming companies based abroad but running in the UK.
The government says co-ordinating the date of the two modifications would mean the government would not be hit by a fall in tax income.
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
Grade 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 numerous Tory MPs, consisting of Michael Howard and David Davis before representing election
She had her first kid in 2016 and is believed 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 gambling industry".
He praised Ms Crouch's "courageous and principled choice" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "must be completely ashamed" of prioritising "corporate interests over victims, revenues over public health and greed over good".
MPs from all sides of your home participated in his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith stated it needs to be talked about as part of the Finance Bill later this month.
Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill
He told the BBC: "There are plenty of people whose lives have actually been damaged by this addiction ... We need to do this really quickly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the gaming market will make about ₤ 1bn as an outcome of this delay. That's wrong."
Labour has actually informed the BBC that they will put down an amendment to the Finance Bill to try and bring in the modifications next April.
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Sports Minister Tracey Crouch Resigns over 'Delay' To Betting Crackdown
Maryjo Meier edited this page 19 hours ago