What operating licences do I need - betting?
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The following types of licence apply to betting businesses.
Please read the details below to see which licence you need:
Activities you undertake in relation to the above licences may
bring with them other licensing requirements in relation to
gaming machines or gambling software.
Non-remote general betting (standard)
This licence allows you to run a betting shop based in premises
agreed with your local licensing authority.
It also allows you to site up to four gaming machines. The
gaming machines have to be in machine category B2 or lower, so
do not include category B3A. If you choose not to offer gaming
machines your annual fee under this licence will be lower.
If you intend to use remote platforms (eg betting websites) to back
or lay bets as part of running a betting shop, you will also
require a Remote general betting (standard) (remote platform)
licence. This licence will not attract any additional
application or annual fee in this instance.
However, as this is a betting licence the primary activity on
your premises must be betting services, to stay compliant with
your licence. Please see our
Licence
conditions and codes of practice - consolidated December 2011 for full details.
Apply
for an operating licence.
Remote general betting (standard)
If you are offering a fixed odds betting service
by remote communication, (for example via online betting) from
remote gambling equipment based in Great Britain, you need a
remote general betting (standard) licence. There are three
types of remote general betting (standard) licence.
Remote general betting (standard) (real
events)
If you are offering betting on real events (as opposed to
virtual events) by means of remote communication you should apply
for a remote general betting (standard) (real events) operating
licence.
Remote general betting (standard) (virtual
events)
If you are offering betting on virtual games, races, events or
other processes by means of remote communication you should apply
for a remote general betting (standard) (virtual events) operating
licence.
Where you offer betting on both real events and virtual events you
will be required to hold both the remote general betting (standard)
(real events) and the remote general betting (standard) (virtual
events) licences.
Remote general betting (standard) (remote
platform)
If you use remote platforms (eg betting websites) to back or lay
bets in the course of your business you should apply for the remote
general betting (standard) (remote platform) operating licence. If
you use remote platforms simply to back or lay bets:
- either as part of running a
betting shop - and so are also applying for a non-remote general
betting (standard) operating licence
- or use them to back or lay
bets as part of running an on-course bookmaking business - and so
are also applying for a non-remote general betting (limited)
operating licence
- or use remote platforms to
back or lay bets as part of your telephone betting business - and
so are also applying for the remote general betting (limited)
operating licence
the remote platform licence will not attract any additional
application or annual fees.
Apply for an operating licence.
Non-remote general betting (limited)
If you are an on-course bookmaker you need this type of licence.
Apply
for an operating licence.
Remote general betting (limited)
This licence allows you to provide facilities for betting only
by means of a telephone or by email (in circumstances where bets
taken are manually processed by the licence holder) up to a maximum
annual gross gambling yield of £550,000. If bets are automatically
processed by gambling software, or where any other means of remote
communication is used to provide facilities for betting, or if your
annual gross gambling yield exceeds £550,000, a remote general
betting (standard) operating licence will be
required though you may not necessarily have
remote gambling equipment based in Great Britain.
Apply
for an operating licence.
Non-remote betting intermediary
This licence allows you to bring two or more betting
parties together if you never have liability for their bets.
An example of a non-remote betting intermediary is a tic-tac at
race courses. Apply for an operating licence.
Remote betting intermediary
This licence allows you to do the same as a non-remote betting
intermediary but through remote communication. An example of a
remote betting intermediary is a betting exchange. Apply for an
operating licence.
Remote betting intermediary (trading rooms)
This licence allows you to run a trading room from a premises
licensed by your local licensing authority. Trading rooms are where
you set up equipment that lets people bet with a third party such
as a remote betting exchange or a remote fixed-odds betting
operator, through the internet or other remote means. Apply for an
operating licence.
You may wish to read:
Is a trading room licence required? - March 2011
Non-remote pool betting
This licence allows you to run a pool betting business,
including racecourse, football and other sports pools, and ‘fantasy
football' type competitions. Currently only Betfred trading as the
Tote can run pool betting on horseracing in the United Kingdom.
If you hold a track premises licence from your local licensing
authority and a pool betting licence, you can site up to four
gaming machines of category B2 and below, but not category B3A.
This is likely to be the case where the track owner is licensed
by the Gambling Commission to run the pool betting activity.
However, this is unlikely to apply to horseracing tracks as only
the Tote can operate pool betting at these tracks.
Otherwise to run machines on a track you will need a separate
betting premises licence from your local licensing authority and a
general betting (standard) operating licence from us. If you offer
machines on your track you will have to site them in an
over-18's-only area and alcohol will not be allowed on the
premises. Apply for an operating licence.
Remote pool betting
If your pool betting business uses remote communication, you
need a remote pool betting operating licence. Apply for an
operating licence.
Ancillary remote
If you are applying for a non-remote general betting (standard)
operating licence but want to offer facilities for betting by
telephone or by email (in circumstances where bets taken are
manually processed by the licence holder), you can add an ancillary
remote to your main licence. You may also need the general betting
(standard) ancillary licence if you provide facilities for betting
by means of bet receipt terminals (or betting machines) on your
licensed betting premises.
The gross
gambling yield from bets taken in reliance on the general
betting (standard) ancillary licence should be less than the gross
gambling yield from bets taken in reliance on the non-remote
operating licence, and should not in any event exceed £550,000
gross gambling yield per annum in relation to bets taken by
telephone or email.
If you are applying for a non-remote general betting (limited)
operating licence but want to offer facilities for betting by
telephone or by email (in circumstances where bets taken are
manually processed by the licence holder), you can add a general
betting (limited) ancillary remote to your main licence.
The gross gambling yield from bets taken in reliance on the
general betting (limited) ancillary licence should be less than the
gross gambling yield from bets taken in reliance on the non-remote
operating licence, and should not in any event exceed £550,000
gross gambling yield per annum.
If you are applying for a non-remote pool betting operating
licence but want to offer facilities for betting by means of bet
receipt terminals (or betting machines) on your licensed betting
premises or licensed track premises, you can add an ancillary
remote to your main licence.
Page last reviewed: September
2012