GitLab

sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'hold-up' to sports betting crackdown
bet9ja.com
1 November 2018
bit.ly
sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has resigned over "hold-ups" to a crackdown on maximum stakes for fixed-odds sports betting devices.

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 said pressing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it might cost the lives of problem gamblers.

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

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

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 government has actually rejected Labour claims that MPs had actually been led to believe the cut would enter into force at the start of the next tax year, in April 2019. They suggested the cut had been meant to be introduced in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch stated: "Unfortunately, application of these changes are now being delayed till October 2019 due to dedications made by others to those with registered interests.

This Twitter post can not be shown in your web browser. Please allow Javascript or attempt a various browser.View initial content on Twitter The BBC is not accountable for the content of external sites.
bet9ja.com
Skip twitter post by Tracey Crouch

Allow Twitter material?

This post contains content supplied by Twitter. We request your approval before anything is packed, as they might be utilizing cookies and other technologies. You might want to check out Twitter's cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To see this content select 'accept and continue'.

Accept and continue

The BBC is not accountable for the content of external sites.

End of twitter post by Tracey Crouch

"From the time of the announcement to minimize stakes and its execution, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these makers.

"In addition, two individuals will unfortunately take their lives every day due to gambling-related issues and, for that reason as much as any other, I think this delay is unjustifiable."

She included: "It is a truth of government that ministers must stick to collective responsibility and can not disagree with policy, not to mention when it is policy made against your desires associating with 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 dedication to doing right."

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "should have big credit not just for her project however for sticking up for her principles".

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

Currently, individuals can bet approximately ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic gambling establishment video games such as roulette. Anti-gambling advocates say the makers let gamers lose cash too quickly, causing addiction and social, psychological and financial problems.

But bookies have actually alerted the cut in stakes might cause thousands of outlets closing.

In her reaction to Ms Crouch, the PM said the federal government had actually listened to those who desired the modifications to come into impact faster than April 2020 and "had concurred that the modifications need to be in place within the year - by October 2019".

In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor stated the change to fixed-odds stakes would come into force next October at the exact same time as changes to task charged on sports betting firms based abroad however operating in the UK.

The government states the date of the two modifications would suggest the federal government would not be hit by a fall in tax profits.
bet9ja.com
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 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 worked for different Tory MPs, including Michael Howard and David Davis before standing for election

She had her very first child in 2016 and is thought to have been the 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 industry".

He applauded Ms Crouch's "courageous and principled choice" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "need to 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 stated it should be gone over as part of the Finance Bill later this month.

Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill

He told the BBC: "There are lots of individuals whose lives have been harmed by this dependency ... We need to do this very quickly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the gaming market will make about ₤ 1bn as a result of this delay. That's not right."

Labour has actually told the BBC that they will put down a change to the Finance Bill to try and generate the changes next April.
bit.ly