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 enter into force in October 2019.
Ms Crouch stated pressing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it might cost the lives of problem bettors.
She tweeted: "Politicians come and go however principles stay with us permanently."
Prime Minister Theresa May said she was dissatisfied Ms Crouch had resigned however there had been "no hold-up in advancing this crucial measure".
High stakes for makers
' I lost ₤ 250,000 on wagering makers'
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sports betting device stakes to be cut to ₤ 2
The federal government has rejected Labour declares 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 intended to be presented in April 2020.
But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch stated: "Unfortunately, execution of these modifications are now being postponed 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 decrease stakes and its execution, over ₤ 1.6 bn will be lost on these machines.
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"In addition, two 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 hold-up is unjustifiable."
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She included: "It is a fact of federal government that ministers should abide by collective responsibility and can not disagree with policy, not to mention when it is policy made against your dreams connecting to your own portfolio."
'God bless'
Among those praising her on social networks, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby tweeted, external that she was "principled and bold" including: "May God bless her dedication to doing right."
Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson tweeted, external that she "deserves huge credit not simply for her project but for sticking up for her principles".
Fixed-odds sports betting terminals create ₤ 1.8 bn in earnings a year for the wagering market, according to the Gambling Commission, external, and taxes of ₤ 400m for the federal government.
Currently, people can wager approximately ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino video games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling advocates state the devices let gamers lose cash too rapidly, causing dependency and social, mental and financial issues.
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But bookies have actually warned the cut in stakes could cause thousands of outlets closing.
In her response to Ms Crouch, the PM stated the federal government had listened to those who desired the modifications to come into effect faster than April 2020 and "had actually concurred that the modifications must be in location within the year - by October 2019".
In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor stated the modification to fixed-odds stakes would come into force next October at the exact same time as modifications to responsibility charged on gaming companies based abroad however running in the UK.
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The federal government says co-ordinating the date of the two changes would imply the 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 understood for her opposition to fox searching and her love of football - she is a qualified FA coach
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 numerous Tory MPs, consisting of Michael Howard and David Davis before meaning election
She had her very first child in 2016 and is thought 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 federal government of "capitulating to the gambling market".
He praised Ms Crouch's "brave and principled choice" and said Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "ought to be thoroughly embarrassed" of prioritising "corporate interests over victims, revenues over public health and greed over good".
MPs from all sides of the House participated in his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said it should be discussed as part of the Finance Bill later this month.
Week ahead in Parliament: The Finance Bill
He told the BBC: "There are lots of people whose lives have actually been damaged by this dependency ... We need to do this extremely rapidly, as rapidly as we can and in the meantime, the sports betting industry will make about ₤ 1bn as an outcome of this delay. That's wrong."
Labour has actually told the BBC that they will put down an amendment to the Finance Bill to attempt and bring in the changes next April.
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Sports Minister Tracey Crouch Resigns over 'Hold-up' To Betting Crackdown
jensfxr0771515 edited this page 2024-12-18 23:37:14 +01:00