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sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'hold-up' to wagering crackdown

1 November 2018

sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has resigned over "delays" 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 enter into force in October 2019.

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

She tweeted: "Politicians reoccur but concepts stay with us forever."

Prime Minister Theresa May said she was disappointed Ms Crouch had actually resigned but there had been "no hold-up in advancing this essential step".

High stakes for fixed-odds wagering makers
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' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering devices'

sports betting device stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The federal government has denied Labour declares that MPs had 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 intended to be introduced in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch said: "Unfortunately, implementation 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 minimize stakes and its execution, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these devices.
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"In addition, two people will tragically take their lives every day due to gambling-related issues and, because of that as much as any other, I believe this delay is unjustifiable."

She added: "It is a truth of government that ministers should adhere to cumulative responsibility and can not disagree with policy, not to mention when it is policy made against your desires connecting to your own portfolio."

'God bless'

Among those praising her on social media, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby tweeted, external that she was "principled and courageous" adding: "May God bless her commitment to doing right."

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "should have substantial credit not just for her project however for sticking up for her concepts".

Fixed-odds sports betting terminals generate ₤ 1.8 bn in income a year for the wagering market, according to the Gambling Commission, external, and taxes of ₤ 400m for the .
bet9ja.com
Currently, people can wager approximately ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic gambling establishment video games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling campaigners say the makers let gamers lose money too quickly, resulting in addiction and social, mental and financial problems.

But bookies have alerted the cut in stakes might cause thousands of outlets closing.

In her response to Ms Crouch, the PM said the government had listened to those who wanted the changes to come into effect earlier than April 2020 and "had actually concurred that the changes need to be in location within the year - by October 2019".

In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor said the change to fixed-odds stakes would enter into force next October at the exact same time as modifications to task charged on sports betting firms based abroad but running in the UK.

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

Who is Tracey Crouch?
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The 43-year-old MP has represented Chatham and Aylesford, in Kent, because 2010
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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 competent 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 worked for various Tory MPs, including Michael Howard and David Davis before representing election

She had her first child in 2016 and is thought to have 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 industry".
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He applauded Ms Crouch's "brave and principled decision" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "need to be thoroughly ashamed" of prioritising "corporate interests over victims, earnings over public health and greed over excellent".

MPs from all sides of the House participated his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said it should be discussed as part of the Finance Bill later this month.

Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill

He informed the BBC: "There are plenty 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 gambling market will make about ₤ 1bn as an outcome of this delay. That's wrong."

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