Sports Minister Tracey Crouch Resigns Over Delay To Betting Crackdown
sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'delay' to wagering crackdown
1 November 2018
sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has 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 come into force in October 2019.
Ms Crouch stated pushing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it could cost the lives of issue bettors.
She tweeted: "Politicians come and go but concepts stick with us permanently."
Prime Minister Theresa May said she was dissatisfied Ms Crouch had resigned however there had actually been "no delay in advancing this crucial measure".
High stakes for fixed-odds sports betting devices
' I lost ₤ 250,000 on sports betting makers'
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sports betting device stakes to be cut to ₤ 2
The federal government has rejected Labour declares that MPs had actually 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 meant to be introduced in April 2020.
But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch stated: "Unfortunately, implementation of these modifications are now being delayed until 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 minimize stakes and its implementation, 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 think this hold-up is unjustifiable."
She included: "It is a truth of government that ministers should stick to cumulative duty and can not disagree with policy, not to mention when it is policy made against your dreams connecting 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 simply for her project but for sticking up for her concepts".
Fixed-odds wagering terminals produce ₤ 1.8 bn in earnings a year for the wagering market, according to the Gambling Commission, external, and taxes of ₤ 400m for the federal government.
Currently, people can wager as much as ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino video games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling campaigners state the machines let players lose cash too rapidly, leading to addiction and social, psychological and monetary problems.
But bookmakers have alerted the cut in stakes could cause countless outlets closing.
In her reaction to Ms Crouch, the PM stated the government had actually listened to those who desired the modifications to come into effect faster than April 2020 and "had actually agreed that the changes should 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 into force next October at the same time as modifications to duty charged on gambling companies based abroad however running in the UK.
The government says co-ordinating the date of the two modifications would imply the government would not be hit by a fall in tax income.
Who is Tracey Crouch?
The 43-year-old MP has actually represented Chatham and Aylesford, in Kent, because 2010
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She was 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 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 standing for election
She had her 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 gaming industry".
He praised Ms Crouch's "courageous and principled decision" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "should be completely embarrassed" of prioritising "corporate interests over victims, revenues over public health and greed over great".
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MPs from all sides of your home participated in his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said it should be gone over as part of the Finance Bill later this month.
Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill
He informed the BBC: "There are a lot of individuals whose lives have actually been harmed by this dependency ... We require to do this really rapidly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the gaming industry will make about ₤ 1bn as an outcome of this delay. That's wrong."
Labour has told the BBC that they will put down an amendment to the Finance Bill to try and bring in the changes next April.