The sports minister has campaigned to reduce the maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals to £2

Tracey Crouch has resigned as sport minister today in a row over action to curb highly addictive gambling machines.

She told Theresa May that she could not support waiting until next October to cut maximum stakes on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) to £2 from £100.

Ms Crouch wrote: “From the time of the announcement to reduce stakes and its implementation, over £1.6 billion will be lost on these machines. In addition, two people will tragically take their lives every day due to gambling-related problems and, for that reason as much as any other, I believe this delay is unjustifiable.”

Ms Crouch had earlier submitted her resignation to Julian Smith, the government’s chief whip. He did not accept it because ministers must submit a formal letter