sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'hold-up' to
sports betting crackdown
1 November 2018
sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has actually resigned over "delays" 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 enter into force in October 2019.
Ms Crouch stated pressing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it could cost the lives of
issue gamblers.
She tweeted: "Politicians reoccur but concepts stick with us forever."
Prime Minister Theresa May stated she was dissatisfied Ms Crouch had resigned however there had been "no hold-up in bringing forward this crucial step".
High stakes for fixed-odds wagering makers
' I lost ₤ 250,000 on
sports betting makers'
sports betting maker stakes to be cut to ₤ 2
The government has actually denied 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 recommended the cut had been intended to be presented in April 2020.
But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch stated: "Unfortunately, application of these modifications 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 announcement to reduce stakes and its execution, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these makers.
"In addition, 2 people will unfortunately take their lives every day due to gambling-related issues and, because of that as much as any other, I think this delay is unjustifiable."
She included: "It is a reality of federal government that ministers should adhere to cumulative duty and can not disagree with policy, not to mention when it is policy made versus your wishes associating with your own portfolio."
'God bless'
Among those
applauding her on social networks, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby tweeted, external that she was "principled and brave" adding: "May God bless her commitment to doing right."
Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "deserves huge credit not just for her project but for sticking up for her principles".
Fixed-odds
sports betting terminals generate ₤ 1.8 bn in income a year for the
sports betting market, according to the Gambling Commission, external, and taxes of ₤ 400m for the federal 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 machines let
gamers lose money too quickly, leading to dependency and social, mental and monetary issues.
But bookies have cautioned the cut in stakes could cause
thousands of outlets closing.
In her reaction to Ms Crouch, the PM stated the government had actually listened to those who desired the changes to come into effect quicker than April 2020 and "had agreed that the changes ought to be in place within the year - by October 2019".
In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor said the modification to
fixed-odds stakes would enter force next October at the exact same time as
modifications to task charged on gambling
firms based abroad but running in the UK.
The federal government says
co-ordinating the date of the 2 changes would indicate the federal government would not be hit by a fall in
tax income.
Who is Tracey Crouch?
The 43
-year-old MP has represented
Chatham and Aylesford, in Kent, considering that 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 different Tory MPs, consisting of Michael Howard and David Davis before representing election
She had her very first kid in 2016 and is believed to have been the very first Tory minister to take maternity leave
But in the Commons on Thursday, Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson accused the government of "capitulating to the gaming market".
He applauded Ms Crouch's "courageous and principled choice" and said
Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "need to be thoroughly ashamed" of prioritising "business interests over victims, revenues over public health and greed over good".
MPs from all sides of your house participated his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said it should 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 individuals whose lives have been harmed by this addiction ... We require to do this really quickly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the gaming industry will make about ₤ 1bn as an outcome of this delay. That's not right."
Labour has actually told the BBC that they will put down an amendment to the Finance Bill to try and bring in the changes next April.
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