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sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'hold-up' to wagering crackdown
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1 November 2018
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sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has resigned over "hold-ups" to a crackdown on optimal stakes for fixed-odds sports betting machines.
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Chancellor Philip Hammond said in Monday's Budget that the cut in stakes from ₤ 100 to ₤ 2 would come into force in October 2019.

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

She tweeted: "Politicians reoccur but principles remain with us permanently."

Prime Minister Theresa May stated she was disappointed Ms Crouch had resigned but there had actually been "no delay in bringing forward this essential procedure".

High stakes for fixed-odds wagering machines

' I lost ₤ 250,000 on sports betting machines'

sports betting device stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The government has denied Labour declares 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 recommended the cut had actually been meant to be presented in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch said: "Unfortunately, implementation of these changes are now being postponed till October 2019 due to commitments made by others to those with signed up interests.

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End of twitter post by Tracey Crouch

"From the time of the statement to decrease 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 problems and, because of that as much as any other, I believe this hold-up is unjustifiable."

She included: "It is a reality of government that ministers must follow collective obligation and can not disagree with policy, let alone when it is policy made against your desires relating 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" adding: "May God bless her commitment to doing right."

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "should have big credit not simply for her project but for sticking up for her concepts".

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

Currently, individuals can wager approximately ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino video games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling advocates state the machines let gamers lose cash too quickly, resulting in addiction and social, mental and monetary problems.

But bookies have alerted the cut in stakes might result in countless outlets closing.

In her response to Ms Crouch, the PM said the federal government had actually listened to those who wanted the modifications to come into effect faster than April 2020 and "had agreed that the modifications ought to be in location within the year - by October 2019".

In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor stated the change to fixed-odds stakes would enter into force next October at the exact same time as modifications to responsibility charged on sports betting companies but running in the UK.

The federal government says co-ordinating the date of the 2 modifications would imply the government would not be struck by a fall in tax profits.

Who is Tracey Crouch?

The 43-year-old MP has actually represented Chatham and Aylesford, in Kent, given 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 qualified 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 different Tory MPs, including Michael Howard and David Davis before meaning election

She had her first kid in 2016 and is believed to have actually been the 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 sports betting industry".

He praised Ms Crouch's "brave and principled choice" and stated Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "should be completely ashamed" of prioritising "business interests over victims, revenues over public health and greed over good".

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

Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill
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He informed the BBC: "There are a lot of individuals whose lives have been damaged by this addiction ... We require to do this really quickly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the gaming market will make about ₤ 1bn as a result of this hold-up. That's not ideal."

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.