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 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 stated pressing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it could cost the lives of problem gamblers.

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

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

High stakes for fixed-odds wagering devices

' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering machines'

sports betting device stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The government has actually 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 meant to be introduced in April 2020.

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

This Twitter post can not be shown in your browser. Please allow Javascript or attempt a various browser.View original material on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Skip twitter post by Tracey Crouch

Allow Twitter material?

This short article consists of material offered by Twitter. We request for your approval before anything is packed, as they may be utilizing cookies and other technologies. You might want to check out Twitter's cookie policy, external and personal privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this material pick 'accept and continue'.

Accept and continue

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

End of twitter post by Tracey Crouch

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

"In addition, two individuals will unfortunately take their lives every day due to gambling-related issues and, for that factor as much as any other, I believe this hold-up is unjustifiable."

She included: "It is a reality of federal government that ministers need to adhere to cumulative duty 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 networks, 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 "deserves substantial credit not just for her campaign however for sticking up for her concepts".

Fixed-odds sports betting terminals produce ₤ 1.8 bn in profits a year for the sports betting 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 video games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling advocates state the machines let players lose money too quickly, leading to dependency and social, psychological and monetary problems.

But bookies have actually alerted the cut in stakes might result in countless outlets closing.

In her action to Ms Crouch, the PM said the federal government had listened to those who wanted the changes to come into impact sooner than April 2020 and "had actually concurred that the modifications need to be in place within the year - by October 2019".

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

The government says co-ordinating the date of the two modifications would indicate the government would not be hit by a fall in tax revenue.

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

She is known for her opposition to fox hunting and her love of football - she is a qualified FA coach

Grammar 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 different 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 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 gambling market".

He applauded Ms Crouch's "bold and principled choice" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "need to be completely ashamed" of prioritising "business interests over victims, earnings 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 ought to be discussed as part of the Finance Bill later on this month.

Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill

He informed the BBC: "There are lots of people whose lives have been harmed by this addiction ... We require to do this extremely quickly, as quickly as we can and in the meantime, the sports betting industry will make about ₤ 1bn as a result of this delay. That's not right."

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