Sports Minister Tracey Crouch Resigns Over Delay To Betting Crackdown
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sports betting Minister Tracey over 'hold-up' to wagering crackdown
1 November 2018
sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has resigned over "delays" to a crackdown on maximum stakes for fixed-odds wagering machines.
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 said pushing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it could cost the lives of problem bettors.
She tweeted: "Politicians come and go however concepts remain with us permanently."
Prime Minister Theresa May stated she was disappointed Ms Crouch had actually resigned however there had actually been "no delay in bringing forward this important step".
High stakes for fixed-odds sports betting devices
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' I lost ₤ 250,000 on sports betting machines'
sports betting maker 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 force at the start of the next tax year, in April 2019. They recommended the cut had actually been meant to be introduced in April 2020.
But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch said: "Unfortunately, application of these modifications 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 statement to decrease stakes and its implementation, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these makers.
"In addition, 2 individuals will tragically take their lives every day due to gambling-related problems and, for that reason as much as any other, I believe this delay is unjustifiable."
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She added: "It is a reality of government that ministers need to follow collective duty and can not disagree with policy, let alone when it is policy made versus your wishes connecting 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 bold" adding: "May God bless her dedication to doing right."
Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "deserves big credit not simply for her project but for sticking up for her concepts".
Fixed-odds wagering terminals generate ₤ 1.8 bn in income a year for the sports betting industry, according to the Gambling Commission, external, and taxes of ₤ 400m for the federal government.
Currently, individuals can wager approximately ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino video games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling advocates state the makers let players lose money too rapidly, causing addiction and social, mental and monetary issues.
But bookmakers have actually alerted the cut in stakes might result in countless outlets closing.
In her reaction to Ms Crouch, the PM stated the federal government had listened to those who wanted the modifications to come into impact quicker than April 2020 and "had agreed that the modifications ought to be in place within the year - by October 2019".
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In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor stated the change to fixed-odds stakes would come into force next October at the exact same time as modifications to responsibility charged on gaming firms based abroad however running in the UK.
The federal government says co-ordinating the date of the two 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, 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 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 numerous Tory MPs, including Michael Howard and David Davis before standing for election
She had her very first kid in 2016 and is believed to have actually been the 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 gambling industry".
He applauded Ms Crouch's "courageous and principled choice" and stated Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "must be completely ashamed" of prioritising "corporate interests over victims, profits over public health and greed over excellent".
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MPs from all sides of the House participated in his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said it must be discussed as part of the Finance Bill later on this month.
Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill
He told the BBC: "There are a lot of individuals whose lives have actually been harmed by this dependency ... We need to do this very quickly, as quickly as we can and in the meantime, the gaming 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 changes next April.
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