Sports Minister Tracey Crouch Resigns over ‘Hold-up’ To Betting Crackdown
sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over ‘hold-up’ to sports betting crackdown
1 November 2018
sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has resigned over “delays” to a crackdown on optimal 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 might cost the lives of problem bettors.
She tweeted: “Politicians come and go but principles remain with us forever.”
Prime Minister Theresa May stated she was disappointed Ms Crouch had resigned however there had actually been “no delay in bringing forward this important measure”.
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 federal government has actually 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 suggested the cut had been planned to be introduced in April 2020.
But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch stated: “Unfortunately, implementation of these changes are now being delayed till October 2019 due to dedications 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 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 issues and, for that reason as much as any other, I think this hold-up is unjustifiable.”
She added: “It is a truth of government that ministers should adhere to collective obligation 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 bold” adding: “May God bless her commitment to doing right.”
Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she “deserves substantial credit not just for her project but for sticking up for her concepts”.
Fixed-odds sports betting create ₤ 1.8 bn in profits a year for the wagering market, according to the Gambling Commission, external, and taxes of ₤ 400m for the government.
Currently, individuals can bet up to ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling advocates state the devices let gamers lose cash too rapidly, causing dependency and social, mental and monetary problems.
But bookies have actually warned the cut in stakes could result in thousands of outlets closing.
In her response to Ms Crouch, the PM stated the federal government had actually listened to those who wanted the modifications to come into effect earlier than April 2020 and “had actually agreed that the modifications should be in place within the year – by October 2019”.
In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor said the modification to fixed-odds stakes would come into force next October at the very same time as modifications to duty charged on sports betting firms based abroad but operating in the UK.
The federal government says co-ordinating the date of the 2 modifications would suggest the federal government would not be hit by a fall in tax revenue.
Who is Tracey Crouch?
The 43-year-old MP has represented Chatham and Aylesford, in Kent, because 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 worked for numerous Tory MPs, consisting of Michael Howard and David Davis before standing for 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 gaming market”.
He applauded Ms Crouch’s “courageous and principled choice” and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright “need to be thoroughly ashamed” of prioritising “corporate interests over victims, earnings over public health and greed over great”.
MPs from all sides of your house participated his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith stated it ought to be discussed as part of the Finance Bill later on this month.
Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill
He told the BBC: “There are plenty of individuals whose lives have actually been harmed by this dependency … We require to do this extremely rapidly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the gambling market will make about ₤ 1bn as a result of this delay. That’s not best.”
Labour has actually informed the BBC that they will put down an amendment to the Finance Bill to try and generate the changes next April.
