Sports Minister Tracey Crouch Resigns over ‘Delay’ To Betting Crackdown
sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over ‘delay’ to wagering crackdown
1 November 2018
sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has actually resigned over “delays” 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 come into force in October 2019.
Ms Crouch said pushing back the date was “unjustifiable” and it could cost the lives of problem gamblers.
She tweeted: “Politicians reoccur however principles stick with us permanently.”
Prime Minister Theresa May stated she was disappointed Ms Crouch had actually resigned however there had been “no delay in bringing forward this crucial measure”.
High stakes for fixed-odds sports betting machines
‘ I lost ₤ 250,000 on sports betting devices’
sports betting device stakes to be cut to ₤ 2
The federal government has actually denied Labour claims that MPs had actually been led to believe the cut would come into 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 said: “Unfortunately, application of these changes are now being postponed till October 2019 due to dedications 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 lower 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, for that reason as much as any other, I think this delay is unjustifiable.”
She added: “It is a reality of federal government that ministers need to follow 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 dedication to doing right.”
Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she “deserves substantial credit not just for her campaign but for sticking up for her principles”.
Fixed-odds wagering terminals create ₤ 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, individuals can wager as much as ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic gambling establishment games such as roulette. Anti-gambling campaigners state the devices let gamers lose cash too quickly, leading to dependency and social, mental and financial issues.
But bookies have actually the cut in stakes could lead to thousands of outlets closing.
In her response to Ms Crouch, the PM stated the federal government had actually listened to those who desired the modifications to come into effect quicker than April 2020 and “had concurred that the modifications must be in place within the year – by October 2019”.
In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor said the change to fixed-odds stakes would come into force next October at the same time as modifications to task charged on gaming companies based abroad but running in the UK.
The federal government states co-ordinating the date of the two changes would indicate 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, considering that 2010
She was promoted to the front bench as sports betting minister in 2015
She is understood for her opposition to fox hunting 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 various Tory MPs, including Michael Howard and David Davis before meaning election
She had her very 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 government of “capitulating to the sports betting industry”.
He applauded Ms Crouch’s “brave and principled choice” and stated Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright “ought to be thoroughly embarrassed” of prioritising “corporate interests over victims, revenues over public health and greed over great”.
MPs from all sides of your home participated his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith stated it should be discussed as part of the Finance Bill later this month.
Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill
He informed the BBC: “There are plenty of people whose lives have been harmed by this addiction … We require to do this extremely quickly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the gaming industry will make about ₤ 1bn as a result of this delay. That’s wrong.”
Labour has actually told the BBC that they will put down a change to the Finance Bill to attempt and bring in the changes next April.