Sports Minister Tracey Crouch Resigns over 'Hold-up' To Betting Crackdown
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sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'delay' to sports betting crackdown
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1 November 2018
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sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has resigned over "delays" to a crackdown on maximum stakes for fixed-odds wagering devices.
Chancellor Philip Hammond stated in Monday's Budget that the cut in stakes from ₤ 100 to ₤ 2 would come into force in October 2019.
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Ms Crouch said pressing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it could cost the lives of problem gamblers.
She tweeted: "Politicians reoccur however principles stay with us forever."
Prime Minister Theresa May stated she was disappointed Ms Crouch had actually resigned however there had been "no hold-up in bringing forward this essential measure".
High stakes for fixed-odds wagering makers
' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering machines'
sports betting machine stakes to be cut to ₤ 2
The government has denied Labour declares that MPs had actually 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 been meant to be presented in April 2020.
But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch stated: "Unfortunately, execution of these changes are now being postponed until October 2019 due to commitments 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 announcement to lower stakes and its implementation, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these devices.
"In addition, 2 individuals will unfortunately take their lives every day due to gambling-related issues and, for that reason as much as any other, I believe this delay is unjustifiable."
She included: "It is a truth of federal government that ministers should follow collective duty and can not disagree with policy, let alone when it is policy made versus your desires associating with your own portfolio."
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'God bless'
Among those praising her on social networks, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby tweeted, external that she was "principled and brave" including: "May God bless her dedication to doing right."
Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "should have huge credit not simply for her project however for sticking up for her concepts".
Fixed-odds wagering 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, individuals can wager up to ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic gambling establishment games such as roulette. Anti-gambling campaigners state the devices let players lose cash too quickly, leading to dependency and social, mental and monetary problems.
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But bookmakers have cautioned the cut in stakes could lead to countless outlets closing.
In her response to Ms Crouch, the PM said the federal government had listened to those who wanted the modifications to come into result earlier than April 2020 and "had actually concurred that the changes must be in place 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 modifications to duty charged on sports betting companies based abroad but running in the UK.
The federal government says co-ordinating the date of the two modifications would indicate the 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, because 2010
She was promoted to the front bench as in 2015
She is understood for her opposition to fox searching 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 different Tory MPs, including Michael Howard and David Davis before representing election
She had her very first kid in 2016 and is believed to have been the very first Tory minister to take maternity leave
But in the Commons on Thursday, Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson implicated the government of "capitulating to the gaming industry".
He applauded Ms Crouch's "brave and principled choice" and stated Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "must be thoroughly ashamed" of prioritising "corporate interests over victims, profits over public health and greed over excellent".
MPs from all sides of your house 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 told the BBC: "There are a lot of individuals whose lives have been harmed by this dependency ... We need to do this very quickly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the sports betting industry will make about ₤ 1bn as an outcome of this delay. That's not best."
Labour has told the BBC that they will put down a modification to the Finance Bill to attempt and generate the changes next April.
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