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sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'hold-up' to sports betting crackdown

1 November 2018

sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has resigned over "delays" 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 gamblers.

She tweeted: "Politicians reoccur however concepts stay with us forever."

Prime Minister Theresa May said she was dissatisfied Ms Crouch had actually resigned but there had actually been "no delay in advancing this essential step".

High stakes for fixed-odds sports betting makers

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

sports betting maker stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The government has actually rejected Labour 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 recommended the cut had actually been planned to be presented in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch stated: "Unfortunately, implementation of these changes are now being postponed till October 2019 due to dedications 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, 2 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 hold-up is unjustifiable."

She included: "It is a truth of federal government that ministers should adhere to 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'
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Among those praising her on social networks, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby tweeted, external that she was "principled and courageous" adding: "May God bless her dedication to doing right."
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Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "deserves substantial credit not simply for her project but for sticking up for her concepts".
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Fixed-odds wagering terminals produce ₤ 1.8 bn in profits a year for the sports betting market, according to the Gambling Commission, external, and taxes of ₤ 400m for the federal government.

Currently, people can wager approximately ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino video games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling campaigners state the makers let gamers lose money too rapidly, causing dependency and social, mental and financial problems.

But bookies have actually warned the cut in stakes might result in countless outlets closing.

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

In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor stated the modification 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 however running in the UK.

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

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 actually worked for various Tory MPs, including Michael Howard and David Davis before standing for election

She had her first kid in 2016 and is believed 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 government of "capitulating to the sports betting industry".

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

MPs from all sides of your house signed up with in his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said 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 lots of people whose lives have been damaged by this addiction ... We need to do this extremely rapidly, 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 not right."

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