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

1 November 2018

sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has resigned over "delays" to a crackdown on optimal 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 come into force in October 2019.

Ms Crouch stated pushing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it could cost the lives of problem gamblers.

She tweeted: "Politicians come and go however principles stick with us forever."

Prime Minister Theresa May stated she was disappointed Ms Crouch had resigned however there had been "no delay in bringing forward this essential procedure".

High stakes for fixed-odds wagering makers

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

sports betting device stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The federal government has denied Labour claims that MPs had 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, execution of these changes are now being postponed till October 2019 due to commitments made by others to those with registered interests.

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End of twitter post by Tracey Crouch

"From the time of the statement to minimize stakes and its implementation, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these devices.

"In addition, two individuals will unfortunately take their lives every day due to gambling-related problems and, because of that as much as any other, I believe this delay is unjustifiable."

She added: "It is a fact of federal government that ministers need to stick to collective responsibility and can not disagree with policy, not to mention when it is policy made against your dreams relating to your own portfolio."

'God bless'

Among those applauding her on social media, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby tweeted, external that she was "principled and courageous" including: "May God bless her commitment to doing right."

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

Fixed-odds sports betting terminals produce ₤ 1.8 bn in profits 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 casino video games such as roulette. Anti-gambling advocates state the machines let gamers lose money too quickly, causing dependency and social, psychological and monetary issues.

But bookmakers have alerted the cut in stakes could result in thousands of outlets closing.

In her action to Ms Crouch, the PM said the federal government had listened to those who wanted the modifications to come into impact quicker than April 2020 and "had actually concurred that the changes must remain in place within the year - by October 2019".

In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor stated the modification to fixed-odds stakes would enter force next October at the same time as modifications to duty charged on gambling companies based abroad however operating in the UK.

The federal government says co-ordinating the date of the two changes would imply the federal government would not be hit by a fall in tax profits.

Who is Tracey Crouch?

The 43-year-old MP has actually represented Chatham and Aylesford, in Kent, considering that 2010

She was promoted to the front bench as sports betting minister in 2015

She is known for her opposition to fox hunting and her love of football - she is a competent 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 representing election

She had her first child 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 accused the federal government of "capitulating to the gambling market".

He praised Ms Crouch's "courageous and principled decision" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "need to be completely ashamed" of prioritising "corporate 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 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 plenty of individuals 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 gaming market will make about ₤ 1bn as an outcome of this hold-up. That's wrong."

Labour has actually informed the BBC that they will put down a change to the Finance Bill to try and bring in the changes next April.