sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'delay' 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 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 pressing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it might cost the lives of issue bettors.

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

Prime Minister Theresa May said she was dissatisfied Ms Crouch had resigned however there had actually been "no hold-up in bringing forward this essential step".

High stakes for fixed-odds sports betting makers

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

sports betting machine stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The government has actually rejected Labour declares that MPs had been led to think the cut would come into 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.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch said: "Unfortunately, application of these changes are now being delayed up until October 2019 due to commitments made by others to those with signed up interests.

This Twitter post can not be shown in your web browser. Please enable Javascript or attempt a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not accountable for the content of external sites.

Skip twitter post by Tracey Crouch

Allow Twitter content?

This article consists of material supplied by Twitter. We request your consent before anything is packed, as they might be using cookies and other innovations. You might wish to read Twitter's cookie policy, external and personal privacy policy, external before accepting. To see this material select '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 implementation, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these devices.

"In addition, two people will unfortunately take their lives every day due to gambling-related problems and, for that reason as much as any other, I think this hold-up is unjustifiable."

She included: "It is a reality of federal government that ministers need to abide by collective obligation and can not disagree with policy, let alone when it is policy made against your dreams connecting to your own portfolio."

'God bless'

Among those praising her on social media, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby tweeted, external that she was "principled and courageous" adding: "May God bless her commitment 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 principles".

Fixed-odds sports betting terminals produce ₤ 1.8 bn in revenue a year for the wagering market, according to the Gambling Commission, external, and taxes of ₤ 400m for the government.

Currently, people can wager as much as ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic gambling establishment video games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling advocates say the devices let players lose cash too rapidly, causing addiction and social, psychological and monetary issues.

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

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

In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor stated the modification to fixed-odds stakes would enter into force next October at the very same time as modifications to task charged on gaming firms based abroad but operating in the UK.

The government says co-ordinating the date of the 2 changes would mean the government would not be struck by a fall in tax earnings.

Who is Tracey Crouch?

The 43-year-old MP has actually represented Chatham and Aylesford, in Kent, because 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 various Tory MPs, including Michael Howard and David Davis before representing election

She had her very first kid in 2016 and is thought to have been the 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 industry".

He praised Ms Crouch's "bold and principled decision" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "should be completely embarrassed" of prioritising "corporate interests over victims, earnings over public health and greed over excellent".

MPs from all sides of your house participated his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith stated it should be talked about 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 individuals whose lives have been harmed by this dependency ... We require to do this very rapidly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the sports betting market will make about ₤ 1bn as an outcome of this delay. That's wrong."

Labour has told the BBC that they will put down a modification to the Finance Bill to attempt and generate the changes next April.