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• 2009

Under age gambling in betting shops - operators face further tests

Press release

Date: 3 December 2009

The Gambling Commission (the Commission) undertakes a rolling programme of nationwide test purchase visits* to determine that adequate and effective controls are in place to prevent under age gambling. The Commission benefitted on this occasion from working with a number of local council licensing authorities on the most recent series of visits to betting shops.

While the results show that there is still plenty of work to be done, the five major betting operators in Great Britain, accounting for around 80% of betting shops, have made considerable progress.  Following disturbing results in May this year when almost all shops failed a similar exercise, these results show that in 65% of the 160 shops visited, a person under 18 years of age was prevented from placing a bet at the counter.

The Commission is meeting the operators concerned next week to discuss the detailed results and how they plan to secure the further improvements needed.  The rolling programme of test purchase visits will continue as part of our ongoing compliance programme.

This exercise also covered initial visits to a small sample of those medium and smaller betting operators in England and Wales that make up 20% of the total number of betting shops. The results were poor with only 35% of betting shops visited preventing someone under age from betting at the counter.  Again, the Commission, working with local councils, is rapidly engaging with those operators whose shops we visited to secure immediate improvement plans.  In addition we will be holding specific local events, commencing early next year, for all smaller operators to discuss compliance under the Gambling Act 2005. 

The Director of Regulation at the Commission, Nick Tofiluk, said “The Commission is pleased that operators have responded rapidly to the action we took earlier this year.  However young people under 18 are not permitted to gamble; there must be no let up in the effort to improve.  Test purchase exercises, by both the Commission and licensing authorities, will continue."

Ends

Notes to editors

The Gambling Commission

1. 1. The Commission regulates gambling in the public interest. It does so by keeping crime out of gambling, by ensuring that gambling is conducted fairly and openly, and by protecting children and vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by gambling. The Commission also provides independent advice to government on gambling in Britain.
2. 2. The Commission is responsible for licensing and regulating all gambling in Great Britain other than the National Lottery and spread betting, which are the responsibility of the National Lottery Commission and the Financial Services Authority (FSA) respectively.
3. 3. Licensing authorities in Great Britain are co-regulators with the Commission under the Gambling Act 2005. They are responsible for the licensing of premises related to gambling.
4. 4. The rolling programme of test purchase exercises is one feature of the Commission’s ongoing compliance activity. It covers online gambling, betting shops and AGCs and we work closely with licensing authorities to ensure compliance. 
5. 5.  * The test purchase exercises use under age volunteers (with parental consent) as permitted under Section 64 of the Gambling Act 2005 to assess whether effective controls are in place to prevent under age gambling.
6. 6.  A test purchase (mystery shopping) exercise in May 2009, covering the major five operators in Great Britain, found that in 98 out of 100 premises visited, a young person under 18 years of age was allowed to place a bet at the counter.
7. 7.  The total number of betting shops visited belonging to the major five operators was 160, broken down as follows:
   
   

Further information

1. Further information is available from the Commission's website at:  www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk.
2. You can also call John Travers on (0121) 230 6700, (07852) 124624 or email via communications@gamblingcommission.gov.uk.