Sports Minister Tracey Crouch Resigns over ‘Delay’ To Betting Crackdown

sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over ‘hold-up’ to sports betting crackdown

1 November 2018

sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has actually resigned over “hold-ups” to a crackdown on optimal stakes for fixed-odds sports betting 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 stated pushing back the date was “unjustifiable” and it could cost the lives of problem bettors.

She tweeted: “Politicians reoccur but principles remain with us permanently.”

Prime Minister Theresa May stated she was disappointed Ms Crouch had resigned however there had actually been “no delay in bringing forward this important measure”.

High stakes for fixed-odds wagering machines

‘ I lost ₤ 250,000 on sports betting devices’

sports betting machine stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The government has rejected Labour claims that MPs had been led to believe the cut would enter into force at the start of the next tax year, in April 2019. They recommended the cut had actually been intended to be introduced in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch said: “Unfortunately, execution of these modifications are now being postponed until October 2019 due to commitments made by others to those with registered interests.

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End of twitter post by Tracey Crouch

“From the time of the announcement to minimize stakes and its execution, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these devices.

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

She included: “It is a reality of federal government that ministers need to adhere to cumulative responsibility and can not disagree with policy, not to mention when it is policy made versus your desires relating 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 brave” adding: “May God bless her dedication to doing right.”

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she “should have substantial credit not simply for her campaign however for sticking up for her principles”.

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 bet as much as ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling advocates say the makers let players lose money too rapidly, causing dependency and social, mental and financial issues.

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

In her response to Ms Crouch, the PM said the government had actually listened to those who wanted the changes to come into result faster than April 2020 and “had agreed that the changes ought to be in location 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 exact same time as modifications to duty charged on gambling firms based abroad but running in the UK.

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

Who is Tracey Crouch?

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

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

She is known for her opposition to fox searching and her love of football – she is a competent 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 various Tory MPs, consisting of Michael Howard and David Davis before representing election

She had her first child 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 government of “capitulating to the sports betting market”.

He praised Ms Crouch’s “brave and principled decision” and stated Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright “should be completely ashamed” of prioritising “corporate interests over victims, earnings over public health and greed over great”.

MPs from all sides of the House took part his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said it must be talked about as part of the 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 damaged by this dependency … We require to do this very quickly, as quickly as we can and in the meantime, the sports betting market will make about ₤ 1bn as an outcome of this hold-up. That’s not ideal.”

Labour has actually informed the BBC that they will put down a change to the Finance Bill to attempt and generate the changes next April.