GitLab

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

1 November 2018

sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has resigned over "hold-ups" to a crackdown on maximum stakes for fixed-odds wagering machines.

Chancellor Philip Hammond stated 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 problem bettors.

She tweeted: "Politicians come and go however principles stay with us forever."
bet9ja.com
Prime Minister Theresa May stated she was dissatisfied Ms Crouch had resigned but there had been "no hold-up in advancing this crucial step".
bit.ly
High stakes for fixed-odds wagering makers

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

sports betting maker stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The government has denied Labour declares that MPs had actually been led to believe the cut would come into force at the start of the next tax year, in April 2019. They recommended the cut had been intended to be introduced in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch said: "Unfortunately, execution of these modifications are now being postponed until October 2019 due to commitments made by others to those with signed up interests.
bet9ja.com
This Twitter post can not be displayed in your web browser. Please allow Javascript or try a different browser.View initial material on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites.

Skip twitter post by Tracey Crouch

Allow Twitter content?
bet9ja.com
This article consists of content offered by Twitter. We request your authorization before anything is filled, as they may be utilizing cookies and other innovations. You may want to check out Twitter's cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To see this material pick 'accept and continue'.

Accept and continue

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

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 machines.

"In addition, 2 people will unfortunately take their lives every day due to gambling-related problems and, for that reason as much as any other, I believe this hold-up is unjustifiable."
bet9ja.com
She added: "It is a fact of federal government that ministers should stick to cumulative responsibility and can not disagree with policy, not to mention when it is policy made against your desires 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 bold" adding: "May God bless her commitment to doing right."

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "is worthy of substantial credit not just for her project but for sticking up for her principles".

Fixed-odds wagering terminals generate ₤ 1.8 bn in profits a year for the sports betting industry, 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 gambling establishment video games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling advocates say the machines let gamers lose cash too quickly, leading to dependency and social, mental and monetary problems.

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

In her response to Ms Crouch, the PM stated the government had actually listened to those who wanted the modifications to come into effect quicker than April 2020 and "had actually agreed that the modifications need to remain in location within the year - by October 2019".

In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor said the modification to fixed-odds stakes would enter force next October at the same time as modifications to responsibility charged on gambling companies based abroad but running in the UK.
bit.ly
The government states co-ordinating the date of the two changes would imply the government would not be struck by a fall in tax earnings.

Who is Tracey Crouch?

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

She was promoted to the front bench as sports betting minister in 2015
bet9ja.com
She is known for her opposition to fox searching 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, 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 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 gambling market".

He applauded Ms Crouch's "bold and principled choice" and stated Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "need to be completely embarrassed" of prioritising "corporate interests over victims, revenues 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 must 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 a lot of people whose lives have been harmed by this dependency ... We need to do this really quickly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the gambling market will make about ₤ 1bn as an outcome of this hold-up. That's wrong."

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