FOBTs: Hammond is 'placing bookmakers' jobs over gamblers' lives'

Nicky Morgan says decision to delay cut in maximum stakes could cost 300 extra lives

The chancellor is prioritising jobs in the gambling industry over the lives of addicts by delaying a cut in maximum stakes on fixed-odds betting terminals, the chair of an influential committee of MPs has said.

Nicky Morgan, who chairs the Treasury committee, criticised the decision to put off the stake reduction until October next year, citing a warning from the former sports minister Tracey Crouch - who resigned over the delay last week - that two people take their lives every day due to gambling addiction. "It is the case that the government has prioritised the preservation of jobs in the gambling industry over the addiction of those who suffer from these machines," she said.

Related: End the scourge of fixed-odds betting terminals | Dr Alan Smith