sports betting 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 wagering devices.
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Chancellor Philip Hammond said 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 stated pressing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it could cost the lives of issue gamblers.

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

Prime Minister Theresa May stated she was disappointed Ms Crouch had actually resigned but there had actually been "no delay in advancing this important procedure".

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

sports betting machine stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The federal government has denied 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 suggested the cut had been planned to be introduced in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch stated: "Unfortunately, execution of these modifications are now being postponed up 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 lower stakes and its execution, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these machines.

"In addition, 2 individuals will tragically 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 follow collective duty and can not disagree with policy, not to mention when it is policy made versus your dreams connecting to your own portfolio."

'God bless'

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

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "is worthy of huge credit not simply for her project however for sticking up for her principles".

Fixed-odds wagering terminals create ₤ 1.8 bn in earnings 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 gambling such as roulette. Anti-gambling campaigners state the machines let players lose money too quickly, resulting in dependency and social, mental and monetary issues.

But bookmakers have cautioned the cut in stakes might cause countless outlets closing.

In her response to Ms Crouch, the PM said the government had actually listened to those who desired the changes to come into impact faster than April 2020 and "had agreed that the modifications must 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 same time as modifications to task charged on sports betting companies based abroad but operating in the UK.

The government says co-ordinating the date of the 2 modifications would indicate the government would not be struck by a fall in tax revenue.

Who is Tracey Crouch?

The 43-year-old MP has actually 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 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 different Tory MPs, consisting of Michael Howard and David Davis before standing for 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 implicated the government of "capitulating to the gaming market".

He praised Ms Crouch's "brave and principled decision" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "need to be thoroughly embarrassed" of prioritising "corporate interests over victims, revenues over public health and greed over good".

MPs from all sides of your house took part his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said 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 a lot of people whose lives have actually been harmed by this dependency ... We require to do this extremely quickly, as quickly as we can and in the meantime, the gambling 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 modifications next April.