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sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over ‘delay’ to wagering crackdown
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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 makers.

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 problem gamblers.

She tweeted: “Politicians come and go but principles stay with us forever.”

Prime Minister Theresa May said she was disappointed Ms Crouch had resigned but there had been “no delay in advancing this important step”.

High stakes for fixed-odds sports betting makers
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’ I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering machines’

sports betting machine stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The government has actually rejected Labour declares 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 suggested the cut had actually been meant to be introduced in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch stated: “Unfortunately, application of these modifications are now being postponed up until October 2019 due to dedications made by others to those with registered interests.

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End of twitter post by Tracey Crouch

“From the time of the announcement to decrease stakes and its implementation, 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 problems and, because of that as much as any other, I think this delay is unjustifiable.”

She included: “It is a truth of government that ministers need to follow collective obligation and can not disagree with policy, let alone when it is policy made versus your wishes associating with your own portfolio.”

‘God bless’
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Among those praising her on social media, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby tweeted, external that she was “principled and brave” adding: “May God bless her commitment to doing right.”

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she “deserves huge credit not just for her campaign but for sticking up for her principles”.

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

Currently, people can wager up to ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino games such as roulette. Anti-gambling advocates say the devices let players lose money too rapidly, leading to addiction and social, mental and financial issues.

But bookmakers have actually cautioned the cut in stakes could result in countless outlets closing.

In her action to Ms Crouch, the PM said the government had listened to those who wanted the modifications to come into effect sooner than April 2020 and “had concurred that the modifications should remain in location within the year - by October 2019”.

In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor stated the change to fixed-odds stakes would come into force next October at the very same time as changes to responsibility charged on sports betting firms based abroad but operating in the UK.

The federal government states co-ordinating the date of the 2 changes would imply the government would not be struck by a fall in tax income.

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

Grade school educated at Folkestone School for Girls, she went on to get a degree in law and politics from Hull University

She had actually worked for various Tory MPs, consisting of Michael Howard and David Davis before meaning election

She had her first child in 2016 and is thought to have been the first Tory minister to take maternity leave

But in the on Thursday, Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson accused the federal government of “capitulating to the sports betting industry”.

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, earnings over public health and greed over good”.

MPs from all sides of the House participated his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith stated it needs to 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 a lot of people whose lives have been damaged by this addiction … We need to do this extremely quickly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the gambling market will make about ₤ 1bn as a result of this delay. That’s wrong.”

Labour has told the BBC that they will put down a change to the Finance Bill to try and generate the modifications next April.