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sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'delay' to wagering crackdown

1 November 2018
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sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has resigned over "delays" to a crackdown on maximum stakes for fixed-odds wagering makers.
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Chancellor Philip Hammond said in Monday's Budget that the cut in stakes from ₤ 100 to ₤ 2 would come into force in October 2019.

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

She tweeted: "Politicians come and go but concepts stick with us permanently."

Prime Minister Theresa May stated she was disappointed Ms Crouch had actually resigned but there had been "no delay in advancing this crucial measure".

High stakes for fixed-odds wagering makers

' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering machines'

sports betting machine stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

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

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch stated: "Unfortunately, execution of these modifications 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 execution, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these makers.

"In addition, two 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 included: "It is a reality of federal government that ministers should adhere to collective duty and can not disagree with policy, let alone when it is policy made versus your desires relating to 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" including: "May God bless her dedication to doing right."

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "deserves substantial credit not just for her campaign however for sticking up for her principles".
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Fixed-odds sports betting terminals produce ₤ 1.8 bn in profits 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 gambling establishment video games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling advocates say the machines let gamers lose money too rapidly, resulting in addiction and social, psychological and monetary issues.

But bookmakers have actually alerted the cut in stakes might result in countless outlets closing.

In her action to Ms Crouch, the PM stated the federal government had actually listened to those who desired the modifications to come into effect faster than April 2020 and "had concurred that the modifications should be 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 duty charged on sports betting companies based abroad however running in the UK.
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The federal government states co-ordinating the date of the 2 modifications would indicate the government would not be hit by a fall in tax income.

Who is Tracey Crouch?

The 43-year-old MP has actually represented Chatham and Aylesford, in Kent, since 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 qualified FA coach

Grammar school informed 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 very 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 government of "capitulating to the gaming market".

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

MPs from all sides of the House participated his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said it must be gone over as part of the Bill later on this month.

Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill
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He told the BBC: "There are lots of people whose lives have been damaged by this addiction ... We need to do this really rapidly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the sports betting 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 a modification to the Finance Bill to try and generate the modifications next April.
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