sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over ‘hold-up’ to sports betting crackdown
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1 November 2018
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sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has actually resigned over “hold-ups” to a crackdown on optimal stakes for fixed-odds wagering 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 stated pressing back the date was “unjustifiable” and it could cost the lives of problem gamblers.

She tweeted: “Politicians come and go however concepts stay with us permanently.”

Prime Minister Theresa May stated she was dissatisfied Ms Crouch had resigned but there had been “no hold-up in advancing this essential procedure”.

High stakes for fixed-odds sports betting devices

’ I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering devices’

sports betting device stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The government has actually rejected Labour claims that MPs had been led to think the cut would enter 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.
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But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch said: “Unfortunately, execution of these modifications are now being delayed until 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 statement to minimize stakes and its application, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these machines.

“In addition, 2 people will unfortunately take their lives every day due to gambling-related issues and, for that reason as much as any other, I think this delay is unjustifiable.”

She added: “It is a reality of federal government that ministers should comply with cumulative responsibility and can not disagree with policy, let alone when it is policy made versus your desires relating to your own portfolio.”
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‘God bless’

Among those praising her on social networks, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby tweeted, external that she was “principled and courageous” including: “May God bless her dedication to doing right.”

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she “should have huge credit not just for her project but for sticking up for her concepts”.

Fixed-odds wagering terminals generate ₤ 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, individuals can wager up to ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino video games such as roulette. Anti-gambling campaigners say the machines let players lose money too rapidly, resulting in addiction and social, mental and monetary issues.

But bookmakers have cautioned the cut in stakes might cause thousands of outlets closing.

In her action to Ms Crouch, the PM stated the government had actually listened to those who wanted the modifications to come into effect faster than April 2020 and “had agreed that the modifications need to 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 exact same time as modifications to duty charged on gambling companies based abroad however running in the UK.

The government states co-ordinating the date of the 2 modifications would indicate 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 searching and her love of football - she is a competent FA coach

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

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

She had her very first child in 2016 and is thought to have 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 “brave and principled choice” and stated Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright “ought to be thoroughly ashamed” of prioritising “business interests over victims, revenues over public health and greed over great”.

MPs from all sides of your house joined in his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith stated it must be gone over as part of the Finance Bill later this month.

Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill
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He told the BBC: “There are a lot of individuals whose lives have been harmed by this dependency … We need to do this very quickly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the gambling market will make about ₤ 1bn as a result of this hold-up. That’s not best.”

Labour has informed the BBC that they will put down an to the Finance Bill to try and generate the modifications next April.
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