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sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'hold-up' to wagering crackdown
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1 November 2018

sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has actually resigned over "delays" to a crackdown on maximum stakes for makers.

Chancellor Philip Hammond said 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 problem bettors.

She tweeted: "Politicians come and go however concepts stick with us forever."

Prime Minister Theresa May stated she was dissatisfied Ms Crouch had actually resigned but there had been "no hold-up in bringing forward this crucial step".

High stakes for fixed-odds sports betting makers

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

sports betting device stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The federal 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 suggested the cut had actually been planned to be presented in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch said: "Unfortunately, implementation of these changes are now being delayed till October 2019 due to commitments 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 minimize stakes and its execution, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these machines.

"In addition, 2 people will unfortunately take their lives every day due to gambling-related problems and, because of that as much as any other, I think this delay is unjustifiable."

She added: "It is a reality of government that ministers must follow cumulative responsibility and can not disagree with policy, let alone when it is policy made versus your wishes relating 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 brave" including: "May God bless her commitment to doing right."

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "is worthy of substantial credit not just for her project but for sticking up for her principles".

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

Currently, people can wager up to ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino video games such as roulette. Anti-gambling advocates state the makers let players lose money too quickly, resulting in addiction and social, psychological and monetary issues.

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

In her response to Ms Crouch, the PM stated the federal government had actually listened to those who desired the changes to come into impact sooner than April 2020 and "had agreed that the modifications should be in location within the year - by October 2019".

In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor stated the modification to fixed-odds stakes would enter into force next October at the exact same time as modifications to duty charged on sports betting firms 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 struck 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

Grammar school informed 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, including Michael Howard and David Davis before representing 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 government of "capitulating to the sports betting industry".

He praised Ms Crouch's "brave and principled choice" and stated 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 the House participated his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith stated it should be talked about as part of the Finance Bill later on this month.

Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill

He told the BBC: "There are lots of people whose lives have been damaged by this dependency ... We require to do this really quickly, as quickly as we can and in the meantime, the gaming industry will make about ₤ 1bn as an outcome of this hold-up. That's not right."

Labour has actually told the BBC that they will put down a modification to the Finance Bill to try and generate the modifications next April.