sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'delay' to wagering crackdown

1 November 2018

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

Chancellor Philip Hammond stated in Monday's Budget that the cut in stakes from ₤ 100 to ₤ 2 would enter force in October 2019.

Ms Crouch said pressing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it might cost the lives of issue gamblers.

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

Prime Minister Theresa May stated she was dissatisfied Ms Crouch had actually resigned however there had been "no delay in advancing this important step".

High stakes for fixed-odds sports betting makers

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

sports betting maker stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The federal government has actually denied Labour declares that MPs had 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, implementation of these changes are now being postponed 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 browser. Please allow 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 content?

This post includes material supplied by Twitter. We ask for your authorization before anything is loaded, as they may be utilizing cookies and other innovations. You might wish to read Twitter's cookie policy, external and personal privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this material select 'accept and continue'.

Accept and continue

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

End of twitter post by Tracey Crouch

"From the time of the announcement to decrease stakes and its implementation, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these machines.

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

She included: "It is a truth of federal government that ministers should adhere to collective duty and can not disagree with policy, let alone when it is policy made versus your desires connecting to your own portfolio."

'God bless'

Among those applauding her on social networks, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby tweeted, external that she was "principled and bold" including: "May God bless her commitment to doing right."

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "deserves big credit not simply for her project but for sticking up for her principles".

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

Currently, individuals can bet approximately ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic gambling establishment games such as roulette. Anti-gambling campaigners say the machines let players lose cash too rapidly, leading to addiction and social, psychological and monetary issues.

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

In her reaction to Ms Crouch, the PM said the government had actually listened to those who desired the changes to come into impact faster than April 2020 and "had actually agreed that the changes need to remain 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 exact same time as changes to task charged on gambling firms based abroad but operating in the UK.

The government states co-ordinating the date of the two modifications would suggest the federal government would not be struck by a fall in tax profits.

Who is Tracey Crouch?

The 43-year-old MP has represented Chatham and Aylesford, in Kent, since 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 qualified 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 worked for numerous Tory MPs, including Michael Howard and David Davis before meaning 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 accused the federal government of "capitulating to the sports betting market".

He praised Ms Crouch's "bold and principled decision" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "must be completely embarrassed" of prioritising "business interests over victims, profits over public health and greed over good".

MPs from all sides of the House signed up with in his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith stated it must be discussed 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 been damaged by this dependency ... We need to do this really quickly, as quickly as we can and in the meantime, the gambling market will make about ₤ 1bn as an outcome of this delay. That's not ideal."

Labour has told the BBC that they will put down an amendment to the Finance Bill to attempt and generate the modifications next April.