bet9ja.com
sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'delay' to sports betting crackdown

1 November 2018

sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has resigned over "hold-ups" to a crackdown on optimal stakes for fixed-odds sports betting devices.

Chancellor Philip Hammond stated 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 might cost the lives of issue bettors.

She tweeted: "Politicians come and go however principles remain with us permanently."

Prime Minister Theresa May said she was disappointed Ms Crouch had resigned however there had been "no delay in bringing forward this important measure".

High stakes for fixed-odds sports betting makers

' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering machines'

sports betting maker stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The federal government has denied Labour claims that MPs had been led to think the cut would enter force at the start of the next tax year, in April 2019. They suggested the cut had actually been meant to be presented in April 2020.

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

This Twitter post can not be shown in your web browser. Please allow Javascript or attempt a various browser.View original content on Twitter The BBC is not accountable for the material of external websites.

Skip twitter post by Tracey Crouch

Allow Twitter material?

This short article contains content offered by Twitter. We request your permission before anything is packed, as they might be utilizing cookies and other innovations. You might wish to read Twitter's cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose 'accept and continue'.

Accept and continue
bit.ly
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

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 machines.

"In addition, two individuals will tragically take their lives every day due to gambling-related issues and, because of that as much as any other, I think this hold-up is unjustifiable."
bet9ja.com
She added: "It is a fact of federal government that ministers need to abide by cumulative duty and can not disagree with policy, let alone when it is policy made against your dreams relating to your own portfolio."

'God bless'

Among those applauding her on social networks, 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 "deserves huge credit not just for her project but for sticking up for her concepts".

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

Currently, individuals can bet up to ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino video games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling advocates say the makers let gamers lose cash too rapidly, causing dependency and social, psychological and financial problems.

But bookmakers have actually cautioned the cut in stakes might result in thousands of outlets closing.

In her response to Ms Crouch, the PM stated the government had actually listened to those who wanted the modifications to come into result earlier than April 2020 and "had agreed that the changes should 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 changes to duty charged on sports betting firms based abroad however running in the UK.

The federal government states co-ordinating the date of the two changes would indicate the federal government would not be struck 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 understood for her opposition to fox searching and her love of football - she is a competent FA coach
bit.ly
Grade school informed at Folkestone School for Girls, she went on to get a degree in law and politics from Hull University

She had actually worked for various Tory MPs, consisting of Michael Howard and David Davis before representing election

She had her first child in 2016 and is thought to have been the very first to take maternity leave

But in the Commons on Thursday, Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson accused the federal government of "capitulating to the sports betting industry".

He applauded Ms Crouch's "brave and principled decision" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "should be completely ashamed" of prioritising "business interests over victims, profits over public health and greed over good".
bet9ja.com
MPs from all sides of your home participated his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said it should be gone over as part of the Finance Bill later on this month.
bet9ja.com
Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill

He informed the BBC: "There are a lot of people whose lives have been harmed by this dependency ... We require to do this extremely quickly, as quickly as we can and in the meantime, the sports betting market will make about ₤ 1bn as a result of this delay. That's wrong."

Labour has actually informed the BBC that they will put down a modification to the Finance Bill to attempt and generate the modifications next April.
bet9ja.com