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

1 November 2018

sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has resigned over "hold-ups" to a crackdown on maximum 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 come into force in October 2019.

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

She tweeted: "Politicians come and go however principles stay with us permanently."

Prime Minister Theresa May said she was dissatisfied Ms Crouch had resigned but there had been "no delay in advancing this essential step".

High stakes for fixed-odds sports betting machines

' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering machines'

sports betting device stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The government has denied Labour declares that MPs had been led to believe the cut would come into force at the start of the next tax year, in April 2019. They recommended the cut had been meant to be introduced in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch said: "Unfortunately, execution 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 statement to decrease stakes and its implementation, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these devices.

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

She added: "It is a fact of federal government that ministers should follow collective obligation 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 commitment to doing right."

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "is worthy of substantial credit not just for her campaign however for sticking up for her concepts".

Fixed-odds wagering terminals produce ₤ 1.8 bn in income a year for the sports betting market, according to the Gambling Commission, external, and taxes of ₤ 400m for the government.

Currently, people can wager as much as ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic gambling establishment video games such as roulette. Anti-gambling campaigners say the devices let players lose cash too rapidly, leading to addiction and social, mental and financial issues.

But bookies have actually alerted the cut in stakes could lead to countless outlets closing.

In her response to Ms Crouch, the PM stated the federal government had actually listened to those who wanted the modifications to come into impact quicker than April 2020 and "had agreed that the changes need to remain in place 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 very same time as changes to duty charged on sports betting companies based abroad however running in the UK.

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

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 hunting and her love of football - she is a certified 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 different Tory MPs, consisting of Michael Howard and David Davis before standing for election

She had her first kid 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 "must be completely embarrassed" of prioritising "business interests over victims, earnings over public health and greed over good".

MPs from all sides of the House joined in his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said it ought to be gone over as part of the Finance Bill later 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 really quickly, as quickly as we can and in the meantime, the gambling industry will make about ₤ 1bn as an outcome of this hold-up. That's wrong."

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