Gambling and Lottery Licences

The Gambling Act 2005 replaced most of the previous laws regarding gambling in Great Britain with more of a comprehensive structure of gambling regulation. It transferred the responsibility for certain gaming premises from the Courts to Councils.

The Act requires Licensing Authorities to prepare and publish a policy statement every three years, which outlines the principles which they propose to apply when exercising their functions.

The Gambling Policy must follow procedures set out in the Act, including whom they consult. The consultation period for the Gambling Policy ended in October 2009. The Policy was formally adopted on the 10th December 2009.

The Licensing Authority's main functions are:

To issue Premises Licences for Casinos, Betting Offices and Tracks, Bingo Halls, Adult Gaming Centres, and Family Entertainment Centres.
To grant Permits for Gaming Machines in members' clubs and licensed premises, Prize Gaming and Unlicensed Family Entertainment Centres.
To authorise the temporary use of premises for gambling
To register Small Society Lotteries.

There are three Licensing Objectives which underpin the Gambling Act:-

To prevent gambling from being a source of crime or disorder, being associated with crime or disorder, or being used to support crime;
To ensure that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way;
To protect children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling.

The statement can be found and downloaded in Related Downloads.