sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'delay' to wagering 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 come into force in October 2019.

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

She tweeted: "Politicians reoccur but principles stay with us permanently."

Prime Minister Theresa May said she was dissatisfied Ms Crouch had resigned however there had been "no hold-up in bringing forward this essential procedure".

High stakes for fixed-odds sports betting machines

' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering devices'

sports betting device stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The government has actually rejected Labour declares that MPs had actually been led to think the cut would enter force at the start of the next tax year, in April 2019. They suggested the cut had actually been meant to be presented in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch said: "Unfortunately, implementation of these modifications are now being postponed till October 2019 due to dedications made by others to those with signed up interests.

This Twitter post can not be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not accountable for the material of external websites.

Skip twitter post by Tracey Crouch

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains material offered by Twitter. We ask for your consent before anything is loaded, as they may be utilizing cookies and other technologies. You may wish to read Twitter's cookie policy, external and personal privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose 'accept and continue'.

Accept and continue

The BBC is not responsible for the material of external sites.

End of twitter post by Tracey Crouch

"From the time of the statement to reduce stakes and its implementation, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these makers.

"In addition, 2 individuals will unfortunately take their lives every day due to gambling-related problems and, for that factor as much as any other, I believe this delay is unjustifiable."

She added: "It is a fact of federal government that ministers need to stick to collective obligation and can not disagree with policy, not to mention when it is policy made against your wishes 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 brave" including: "May God bless her commitment to doing right."

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "deserves 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 sports betting industry, according to the Gambling Commission, external, and taxes of ₤ 400m for the government.

Currently, people can bet as much as ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic gambling establishment games such as roulette. Anti-gambling advocates say the devices let gamers lose money too quickly, causing addiction and social, psychological and financial problems.

But bookies have actually cautioned the cut in stakes could cause countless outlets closing.

In her reaction to Ms Crouch, the PM said the federal government had listened to those who desired the changes to come into impact sooner than April 2020 and "had agreed that the modifications need to remain 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 very same time as modifications to responsibility charged on sports betting companies based abroad but running in the UK.

The federal government states co-ordinating the date of the two modifications would indicate the government would not be hit by a fall in tax profits.

Who is Tracey Crouch?

The 43-year-old MP has actually represented Chatham and Aylesford, in Kent, since 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 certified FA coach

Grade school informed 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, including Michael Howard and David Davis before standing for election

She had her first child in 2016 and is believed to have been the 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 sports betting market".

He applauded Ms Crouch's "bold and principled choice" and stated Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "should be completely embarrassed" of prioritising "business interests over victims, earnings over public health and greed over good".

MPs from all sides of your home signed up with in his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said it must be gone over as part of the Finance Bill later on this month.

Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill

He told the BBC: "There are a lot of individuals whose lives have actually been harmed by this dependency ... We need to do this extremely rapidly, as quickly as we can and in the meantime, the sports betting market will make about ₤ 1bn as a result of this delay. That's wrong."

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