The Gambling Act made simple:
Gambling operators require an operating
licence and any relevant personal licences from the Gambling
Commission, the new national gambling regulator.
They can then obtain a premises licence from
their relevant Authority (which is the unitary, district or
county council).
Decisions by both bodies are made in
accordance with the three licensing objectives, which
are:
- Preventing gambling being a source of crime or disorder
- Ensuring that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way
- Protecting children and the vulnerable from being harmed or
exploited by gambling
What will Licensing
Authorities issue?
Licensing Authorities issue
premises licenses for
- Casinos
- Betting Offices and Race Tracks
- Bingo Clubs,
- Adult Gaming Centres
- Family Entertainment Centres.
They will issue permits for:
- Gaming machines in members' clubs and licensed
premises
- gaming in members' clubs
- prize gaming
- Unlicensed Family Entertainment Centres.
In addition they
endorse Temporary Use Notices and
issue Provisional Statements.
In general the Licensing Authority
that issued the premises licence or permit will be responsible for
monitoring it and taking any appropriate enforcement action.
The Gambling
Commission
The Gambling Commission
has taken over from the Gaming Board and also takes on
further wider functions. The Commission came into
existence formally in October 2005 and is based
in Birmingham.
The Commission issues personal and
operating licences and ensures compliance with these and the
associated codes of practice. It investigates and prosecutes
illegal gambling providers and gives guidance to licensing
authorities on how they should carry out their functions under the
Act. The Gambling Commission advises the Government
about the incidence of gambling.
Casinos
The Gambling Act 2005 gives
licensing authorities new powers to:
- Issue premises licences for casinos;
- Resolve not to issue any further casino premises licences in
their area
The Act creates three new categories of
casino, and initially allowed premises licences to be issued for a
total of 17 new casinos: 1 regional, 8 large, and 8 small casinos.
There is provision for the number of premises licences to be
increased, but there are currently no plans to do so. An
independent panel advised the Government where the new casinos
should be located, based on the need to obtain a proper assessment
of their social impact, and on the likely regeneration benefits.
Any area will be able to make its case to the Panel for a new
casino; the new Act revokes the law that allows only certain
permitted areas to have casinos.
Casinos licensed under the existing
legislation continue to be allowed to operate, as their licences
were transferred to the new regime.
Further information
The Licensing Section can be contacted for further information
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