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sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'delay' to wagering crackdown
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1 November 2018
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sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has actually resigned over "delays" to a crackdown on optimal stakes for fixed-odds wagering 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 pressing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it might cost the lives of issue gamblers.

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

Prime Minister Theresa May stated she was disappointed Ms Crouch had but there had been "no hold-up in advancing this important procedure".

High stakes for fixed-odds wagering makers

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

sports betting machine stakes to be cut to ₤ 2
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The federal government has rejected Labour claims that MPs had 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 said: "Unfortunately, execution of these modifications are now being delayed up until 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 announcement to minimize stakes and its execution, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these machines.

"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 delay is unjustifiable."

She included: "It is a reality of federal government that ministers should follow collective responsibility 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 courageous" including: "May God bless her dedication to doing right."

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

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

Currently, people can wager up to ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic gambling establishment games such as roulette. Anti-gambling advocates say the machines let gamers lose money too quickly, leading to addiction and social, mental and monetary issues.

But bookies have warned the cut in stakes might result in thousands of outlets closing.

In her action to Ms Crouch, the PM said the federal government had listened to those who desired the changes to come into result quicker than April 2020 and "had actually concurred that the changes ought to remain in location within the year - by October 2019".

In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor said the change to fixed-odds stakes would enter 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 states co-ordinating the date of the 2 modifications would imply the government would not be hit by a fall in tax earnings.

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

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 representing election

She had her very first child in 2016 and is thought 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 gambling market".

He applauded Ms Crouch's "bold and principled decision" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "must be completely ashamed" of prioritising "corporate interests over victims, revenues over public health and greed over good".

MPs from all sides of your home signed up with in his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith stated it needs to be talked about as part of the Finance Bill later on this month.

Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill
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He informed the BBC: "There are plenty of individuals whose lives have actually been harmed by this addiction ... We need to do this extremely rapidly, as quickly as we can and in the meantime, the sports betting market will make about ₤ 1bn as a result of this hold-up. That's wrong."

Labour has informed the BBC that they will put down an amendment to the Finance Bill to try and generate the changes next April.
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