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sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'delay' to wagering crackdown
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1 November 2018

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

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

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

She tweeted: "Politicians reoccur but concepts stay with us permanently."

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

High stakes for fixed-odds wagering makers

' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering devices'

sports betting machine stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The government has actually denied 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 recommended the cut had been meant to be introduced in April 2020.
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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 statement to lower stakes and its application, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these devices.

"In addition, two individuals will tragically take their lives every day due to gambling-related problems and, for that reason as much as any other, I believe this hold-up is unjustifiable."

She added: "It is a fact of government that ministers must abide by cumulative duty and can not disagree with policy, let alone when it is policy made against your dreams associating with your own portfolio."

'God bless'

Among those praising her on social networks, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby tweeted, external that she was "principled and bold" adding: "May God bless her commitment to doing right."

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, that she "should have substantial credit not just for her campaign but for sticking up for her principles".

Fixed-odds sports betting terminals generate ₤ 1.8 bn in earnings 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 up to ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling advocates state the machines let players lose cash too rapidly, leading to dependency and social, psychological and financial issues.

But bookmakers have warned the cut in stakes could result in thousands of outlets closing.

In her response to Ms Crouch, the PM stated the government had listened to those who desired the changes to come into effect faster than April 2020 and "had agreed that the modifications need to remain in location 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 sports betting companies based abroad however running in the UK.

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

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 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 representing election

She had her 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 implicated the government of "capitulating to the gambling market".

He praised Ms Crouch's "courageous and principled choice" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "should be completely embarrassed" of prioritising "business interests over victims, earnings over public health and greed over good".

MPs from all sides of the House participated his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith stated it needs to be discussed as part of the Finance Bill later on this month.

Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill
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He informed the BBC: "There are lots of individuals whose lives have actually been damaged by this addiction ... We need to do this really quickly, as quickly as we can and in the meantime, the gambling market will make about ₤ 1bn as an outcome of this hold-up. That's not best."

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