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Sports Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'delay' to wagering crackdown
1 November 2018
sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has resigned over "hold-ups" to a crackdown on maximum stakes for fixed-odds sports betting makers.
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 pushing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it might cost the lives of issue bettors.
She tweeted: "Politicians come and go but principles stay with us forever."
Prime Minister Theresa May said she was disappointed Ms Crouch had actually resigned however there had been "no hold-up in bringing forward this essential step".
High stakes for fixed-odds sports betting makers
' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering makers'
sports betting device stakes to be cut to ₤ 2
The government has actually denied Labour declares that MPs had actually been led to believe the cut would enter into force at the start of the next tax year, in April 2019. They suggested the cut had actually been planned to be introduced in April 2020.
But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch stated: "Unfortunately, application of these changes are now being postponed till 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 decrease 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 problems and, because of that as much as any other, I believe this delay is unjustifiable."
She included: "It is a truth of federal government that ministers should stick to cumulative responsibility and can not disagree with policy, not to mention when it is policy made versus your dreams associating with 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 bold" including: "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 but for sticking up for her concepts".
Fixed-odds sports betting terminals create ₤ 1.8 bn in revenue a year for the sports betting industry, according to the Gambling Commission, external, and taxes of ₤ 400m for the government.
Currently, individuals can wager up to ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino video games such as roulette. Anti-gambling advocates say the devices let players lose cash too rapidly, resulting in addiction and social, mental and monetary problems.
But bookmakers have actually warned the cut in stakes could cause countless outlets closing.
In her response to Ms Crouch, the PM stated the government had actually listened to those who desired the modifications to come into result quicker than April 2020 and "had agreed that the changes need to remain in place within the year - by October 2019".
In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor stated the change to fixed-odds stakes would enter into force next October at the exact same time as changes to responsibility charged on sports betting companies based abroad however operating in the UK.
The federal government says co-ordinating the date of the two changes would imply the government would not be hit by a fall in tax earnings.
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 searching 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 actually worked for different Tory MPs, consisting of Michael Howard and David Davis before standing for election
She had her very first child 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 federal government of "capitulating to the gaming industry".
He praised Ms Crouch's "bold and principled choice" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "need to be thoroughly embarrassed" of prioritising "business interests over victims, earnings over public health and greed over excellent".
MPs from all sides of your house took part 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 actually been damaged by this dependency ... We require to do this extremely rapidly, as quickly as we can and in the meantime, the gambling industry will make about ₤ 1bn as a result of this delay. That's not ideal."
Labour has actually informed the BBC that they will put down an amendment to the Finance Bill to attempt and generate the changes next April. |
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