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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 actually resigned over "hold-ups" to a crackdown on optimal stakes for fixed-odds sports betting machines.

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 pushing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it could cost the lives of problem bettors.

She tweeted: "Politicians come and go but principles stay with us forever."

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

High stakes for fixed-odds sports betting machines

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

sports betting machine stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The has rejected Labour claims that MPs had actually been led to think the cut would come into force at the start of the next tax year, in April 2019. They recommended 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 postponed until 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 announcement to reduce stakes and its application, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these devices.

"In addition, 2 individuals will tragically take their lives every day due to gambling-related problems and, for that reason as much as any other, I think this delay is unjustifiable."

She added: "It is a reality of government that ministers should follow collective responsibility 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 brave" including: "May God bless her commitment to doing right."

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "deserves big credit not just for her campaign but for sticking up for her principles".

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

Currently, people can wager approximately ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino video games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling advocates state the makers let players lose cash too quickly, causing dependency and social, psychological and financial issues.

But bookies have cautioned the cut in stakes could cause thousands of outlets closing.

In her reaction to Ms Crouch, the PM stated the federal government had actually listened to those who wanted the modifications to come into result sooner than April 2020 and "had actually concurred 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 same time as changes to task charged on sports betting companies based abroad however running in the UK.

The federal government says co-ordinating the date of the two changes would suggest the 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 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 worked for various Tory MPs, including Michael Howard and David Davis before representing election

She had her very first child 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 accused the government of "capitulating to the gambling industry".

He applauded Ms Crouch's "bold and principled decision" and stated Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "need to be completely ashamed" of prioritising "business interests over victims, earnings over public health and greed over great".

MPs from all sides of the House participated in his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith stated it should be talked about as part of the Finance Bill later this month.

Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill
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He told the BBC: "There are a lot of people whose lives have actually been harmed by this dependency ... We need to do this extremely quickly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the gaming industry will make about ₤ 1bn as a result of this delay. That's not ideal."

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