Premises Licence
Request
‘Under the Freedom of Information Act (2000) I request the following information:
the number of Businesses with a premises licence in the UK in the years 2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021,2022,2023,2024
the number of Businesses with a premises licence in England in the years 2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021,2022,2023,2024
the number of Businesses with a premises licence in Scotland in the years 2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021,2022,2023,2024
the number of Businesses with a premises licence in Wales in the years 2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021,2022,2023,2024.’
Response
Thank you for your request which has been processed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).
In your email you have requested:
‘Under the Freedom of Information Act (2000) I request the following information:
The number of Businesses with a premises licence in the UK in the years 2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021,2022,2023,2024
The number of Businesses with a premises licence in England in the years 2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021,2022,2023,2024
The number of Businesses with a premises licence in Scotland in the years 2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021,2022,2023,2024
The number of Businesses with a premises licence in Wales in the years 2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021,2022,2023,2024.’
The Gambling Industry Statistics publication reports on the size and shape of the customer facing gambling industry in Great Britain, including the number of businesses with a premises licence in the UK from April 2023 to March 2024, as well as historical data back to 2009. Section 21 of the FOIA provides that information is exempt where it is reasonably accessible elsewhere. This information is available to view and download from the Gambling Commission website:
Industry Statistics - November 2024 - Official statistics
Premises specific data can be found on tab 3 of the downloadable Excel spreadsheet. The Gambling Commission publishes a live register of gambling premises on its website, this information is updated nightly and can be found here:
Full register of gambling premises.
This register can be downloaded, filtered and sorted into the regions you have specified in your request.
The Gambling Commission does not retain historical records or previously published versions of the premises licence register. The register is generated dynamically, pulling data directly from our live systems at the point of publication.
As such, we do not hold specific records of premises licences for previous years.
The register is published with the caveat that the Gambling Commission cannot provide any assurances on the completeness and accuracy of this data.
The Commission does not issue premises licences. The licensing of premises for gambling businesses is the responsibility of local licensing authorities (normally the Local Authority for the area where the business is located). You should contact individual licensing authorities to obtain more detailed information about premises licences - You can find your local licensing authority on GOV.UK (opens in a new tab).
Review of the decision
If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your Freedom of Information request you are entitled to an internal review of our decision. You should write to FOI Team, Gambling Commission, 4th floor, Victoria Square House, Victoria Square, Birmingham, B2 4BP or by reply to this email.
Please note, internal review requests should be made within 40 working days of the initial response. Requests made outside this timeframe will not be processed.
If you are not content with the outcome of our review, you may then apply directly to the Information Commissioner (ICO) for a decision. Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have already exhausted the review procedure provided by the Gambling Commission.
It should be noted that if you wish to raise a complaint with the ICO about the Commission’s handling of your request for information, then you are required to do so within six weeks of receiving your final response or last substantive contact with us.
The ICO can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office (opens in a new tab), Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.
Information Management Team
Gambling Commission