Circumstances in which you do not need a casino operating licence
There are some circumstances in which you do
not need a casino operating licence:
At home
You do not need an operating licence from us to play casino
games if:
- the public do not have access to the place where you are
playing a game, and no-one pays a fee to play
- you want to play casino games in a private house with family or
people who live in the house, (including hostels, halls of
residence, and other multiple-occupancy residential buildings), and
more than half the people playing live there.
Overseas websites and other online services
You do not need an operating licence from us if you are not
based in Great Britain.
However, you will need an operating licence from us if you have any
part of your remote gambling equipment (for example a random number
generator) located in Great Britain.
Fundraising
You are allowed to play poker and other casino games to raise
money for charity or other good causes, as long as you tell the
players what the event is for and who you are raising money for,
and you give all the money raised at the event to the good cause.
This includes any entrance fees, sponsorship, fees for traders’
stalls and other fees.
No matter how many games you run or a participant expects to
play in, they must not make more than one payment (whether as an
admission or participation fee, stake or other charge, or a
combination of those charges), and this payment must not exceed £8.
The total amount or value of prizes for all the games played at
your event must not exceed £600.
You can deduct any costs reasonably incurred from organising the
event, including the cost of prizes.
Pubs (public houses) and poker
Pubs are allowed to run games of equal chance, such as poker.
However, the stake is limited to £5 per person, per game, and the
stakes of all players combined in any one day cannot be more than
£100.
There is also a £100 limit on prizes for each game, and the
organiser must not take any money from the stake or prize fund.
Clubs and poker
Members’ clubs, miners’ welfare institutes and commercial clubs
are allowed to run games of equal chance such as poker, as long as
these games are not the club’s main purpose or activity.
In these clubs, the stake is limited to £10 per person, per
game. The stakes of all players combined cannot be more than £250
in any one day, and £1,000 in any given week.
There is also a £250 limit on prizes for each game, and you must
not deduct any money from the stake or prize fund.
All commercial clubs should keep to the limits above.
However, members’ clubs and miners’ welfare institutes who have
a club gaming permit issued by their local licensing authority can
run games of equal chance with no limit on stakes or prizes.
These games cannot be the club’s main purpose or activity, and
they must not deduct any money from the stakes or prize fund.
Under-18s are not allowed where people are gambling.
Page last reviewed: April
2011