sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'delay' to sports betting crackdown

1 November 2018

sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has resigned over "delays" to a crackdown on optimal stakes for fixed-odds wagering devices.

Chancellor Philip Hammond said in Monday's Budget that the cut in stakes from ₤ 100 to ₤ 2 would come into force in October 2019.

Ms Crouch said pressing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it could cost the lives of problem gamblers.

She tweeted: "Politicians reoccur but principles stick 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 important measure".

High stakes for fixed-odds sports betting devices

' I lost ₤ 250,000 on sports betting makers'

sports betting device stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The government has rejected Labour declares 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 presented in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch stated: "Unfortunately, implementation of these modifications are now being delayed 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 devices.

"In addition, 2 people 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 added: "It is a truth of federal government that ministers need to adhere to cumulative duty and can not disagree with policy, let alone when it is policy made against your wishes connecting 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 courageous" including: "May God bless her dedication to doing right."

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "deserves huge credit not simply for her campaign however for sticking up for her concepts".

Fixed-odds wagering terminals generate ₤ 1.8 bn in earnings a year for the wagering industry, according to the Gambling Commission, external, and taxes of ₤ 400m for the federal government.

Currently, people can wager as much as ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic gambling establishment games such as roulette. Anti-gambling advocates say the machines let players lose money too quickly, leading to addiction and social, mental and monetary problems.

But bookmakers have alerted the cut in stakes could lead to thousands of outlets closing.

In her reaction to Ms Crouch, the PM said the government had listened to those who wanted the changes to come into result earlier than April 2020 and "had concurred that the modifications ought to remain in location within the year - by October 2019".

In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor stated the modification to fixed-odds stakes would enter into force next October at the same time as changes to task charged on gambling firms based abroad but running in the UK.

The government states co-ordinating the date of the two changes would mean the federal government would not be struck by a fall in tax income.

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 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 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 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 federal government of "capitulating to the sports betting market".

He applauded Ms Crouch's "courageous and principled decision" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "must be completely embarrassed" of prioritising "business interests over victims, revenues over public health and greed over good".

MPs from all sides of the House signed up with in his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said it needs 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 lots of people whose lives have actually been damaged by this dependency ... We require to do this very rapidly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the gambling industry will make about ₤ 1bn as a result of this hold-up. That's wrong."

Labour has actually informed the BBC that they will put down a modification to the Finance Bill to try and bring in the modifications next April.