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sports betting Minister Tracey Crouch resigns over 'delay' to sports betting crackdown
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1 November 2018
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sports betting minister Tracey Crouch has resigned over "delays" to a crackdown on maximum stakes for fixed-odds sports betting devices.

Chancellor Philip Hammond said in Monday's Budget that the cut in stakes from ₤ 100 to ₤ 2 would enter force in October 2019.

Ms Crouch stated pushing back the date was "unjustifiable" and it might cost the lives of issue bettors.

She tweeted: "Politicians reoccur but concepts stay with us forever."

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

High stakes for fixed-odds wagering makers

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

sports betting machine stakes to be cut to ₤ 2

The government has rejected 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 been intended to be introduced in April 2020.

But in her resignation letter, Ms Crouch said: "Unfortunately, execution of these modifications are now being postponed till October 2019 due to dedications 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 statement to decrease 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."
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She added: "It is a fact of government that ministers must stick to cumulative responsibility and can not disagree with policy, not to mention when it is policy made versus your dreams 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 dedication to doing right."

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

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

Currently, people can bet approximately ₤ 100 every 20 seconds on electronic gambling establishment video games such as live roulette. Anti-gambling advocates state the makers let gamers lose cash too rapidly, leading to dependency and social, and monetary problems.

But bookies have alerted the cut in stakes could cause countless outlets closing.

In her reaction to Ms Crouch, the PM stated the government had listened to those who wanted the changes to come into impact sooner than April 2020 and "had actually concurred that the changes must remain in place within the year - by October 2019".

In his Budget on Monday, the chancellor said the modification to fixed-odds stakes would come into force next October at the very same time as changes to task charged on gaming firms based abroad but operating in the UK.

The government says co-ordinating the date of the 2 modifications would mean 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, since 2010

She was promoted to the front bench as sports betting minister in 2015

She is understood for her opposition to fox hunting and her love of football - she is a competent FA coach

Grammar 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 numerous Tory MPs, consisting of Michael Howard and David Davis before standing for 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 accused the federal government of "capitulating to the gambling market".

He praised Ms Crouch's "brave and principled choice" and stated Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright "should be completely ashamed" of prioritising "corporate interests over victims, profits over public health and greed over good".

MPs from all sides of the House participated his criticism. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said 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 told the BBC: "There are lots of people whose lives have been damaged by this addiction ... We need to do this very rapidly, as quickly as we can and in the meantime, the gaming market will make about ₤ 1bn as a result of this delay. That's wrong."

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