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 optimal 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 into force in October 2019.
Ms Crouch said pushing back the date was “unjustifiable” and it could cost the lives of issue gamblers.
She tweeted: “Politicians come and go but principles remain with us permanently.”
Prime Minister Theresa May said she was dissatisfied Ms Crouch had actually resigned but there had been “no delay in bringing forward this important measure”.
High stakes for fixed-odds wagering machines
‘ I lost ₤ 250,000 on sports betting makers’
sports betting maker stakes to be cut to ₤ 2
The federal 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 intended to be presented in April 2020.
But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch said: “Unfortunately, application of these modifications are now being postponed till 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 statement to reduce stakes and its execution, 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 issues and, for that reason as much as any other, I think this hold-up is unjustifiable.”
She included: “It is a truth of government that ministers must adhere to cumulative duty and can not disagree with policy, let alone when it is policy made versus your dreams 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 huge credit not just for her campaign however for sticking up for her concepts”.
Fixed-odds sports betting terminals produce ₤ 1.8 bn in revenue a year for the sports betting industry, according to the Gambling Commission, external, and taxes of ₤ 400m for the federal government.
Currently, people can bet up to ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling campaigners say the makers let gamers lose money too rapidly, resulting in addiction and social, mental and monetary problems.
But bookies have alerted the cut in stakes could result in countless outlets closing.
In her reaction to Ms Crouch, the PM said the government had actually listened to those who desired the modifications to come into result quicker than April 2020 and “had actually agreed that the modifications should be in location within the year – by October 2019”.
In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor said 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 says co-ordinating the date of the two modifications would mean the federal government would not be hit by a fall in tax revenue.
Who is Tracey Crouch?
The 43-year-old MP has 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 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 various Tory MPs, including Michael Howard and David Davis before standing for election
She had her first kid 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 implicated the federal government of “capitulating to the gambling market”.
He praised Ms “bold and principled choice” and stated Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright “should be thoroughly embarrassed” of prioritising “corporate interests over victims, earnings over public health and greed over excellent”.
MPs from all sides of your house joined in his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith stated it should be gone over as part of the Finance Bill later this month.
Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill
He told the BBC: “There are plenty of people whose lives have actually been damaged by this addiction … We need to do this extremely quickly, as quickly as we can and in the meantime, the gambling market will make about ₤ 1bn as a result of this delay. That’s wrong.”
Labour has told the BBC that they will put down a modification to the Finance Bill to try and bring in the modifications next April.
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