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

1 November 2018

sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has actually 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 pushing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it might cost the lives of problem bettors.

She tweeted: "Politicians reoccur but concepts stick with us forever."

Prime Minister Theresa May said she was disappointed Ms Crouch had actually resigned however there had actually been "no delay in bringing forward this crucial step".

High stakes for fixed-odds sports betting machines

' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering machines'

sports betting maker stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The government has rejected Labour claims that MPs had 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 been planned to be presented in April 2020.

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

This Twitter post can not be shown in your internet browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the material of external websites.

Skip twitter post by Tracey Crouch

Allow Twitter material?

This short article includes material offered by Twitter. We ask for your consent before anything is packed, as they may be using cookies and other innovations. You may desire to check out Twitter's cookie policy, external and personal privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content select 'accept and continue'.

Accept and continue

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

End of twitter post by Tracey Crouch

"From the time of the announcement to reduce stakes and its execution, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these makers.

"In addition, 2 people will unfortunately take their lives every day due to gambling-related issues and, because of that as much as any other, I believe this delay is unjustifiable."

She included: "It is a fact of government that ministers must comply with collective duty and can not disagree with policy, let alone when it is policy made versus your desires relating 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" including: "May God bless her commitment to doing right."

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "is worthy of big credit not simply for her project however for sticking up for her principles".

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

Currently, people can bet up to ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic gambling establishment games such as roulette. Anti-gambling campaigners say the makers let gamers lose money too quickly, causing addiction and social, mental and financial issues.

But bookies have alerted the cut in stakes could cause thousands of outlets closing.

In her reaction to Ms Crouch, the PM said the government had listened to those who wanted the changes to come into result sooner than April 2020 and "had actually agreed that the changes ought to be in place within the year - by October 2019".

In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor said the modification to fixed-odds stakes would come into force next October at the very same time as modifications to responsibility charged on gambling companies based abroad but operating in the UK.

The government states co-ordinating the date of the 2 changes would imply the federal government would not be hit by a fall in tax income.

Who is Tracey Crouch?

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

She was promoted to the front bench as sports betting minister in 2015

She is understood for her opposition to fox hunting and her love of football - she is a competent 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 worked for various Tory MPs, including Michael Howard and David Davis before standing for election

She had her 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 federal government of "capitulating to the sports betting industry".

He praised Ms Crouch's "brave and principled choice" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "should be completely embarrassed" of prioritising "corporate interests over victims, revenues over public health and greed over great".

MPs from all sides of your house signed up with in his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith stated it needs to 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 need to do this really rapidly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the gambling industry 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 try and generate the modifications next April.