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Request date: 14 November 2025
This version was printed or saved on: 8 December 2025
Online version: https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/about-us/freedomofinformation/illegal-category-a-machines
Thank you for your request which has been processed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).
In your email you have requested:
In order to identify, locate and retrieve the information requested, we would need to conduct a search of our systems from January 2007 to present date, to firstly identify the findings of each case, and then to establish whether there are any cases that refer to illegal Category A slot machines that the Commission has investigated.
Cases are dealt with differently depending on the matters of each individual case. For example, some cases are dealt with as regulatory cases, some via an Enforcement or Intelligence referral, and some may become criminal cases where the Commission considers prosecution. In order to fulfil your request, we would be required to review thousands of records across different systems.
To note, at any one time the Commission can carry circa 80 live cases on a rolling basis. Your request would therefore require a manual review of the findings of a large number of cases across different systems, dating back to January 2007, to assess if they were in scope of your request.
Under section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA), public authorities can refuse a request if it would cost more than a set limit to firstly find and then extract the requested information. In relation to your request, we estimate that it would take in excess of 18 hours to determine appropriate material and retrieve and extract any relevant information in reference to your request.
Section 12 of the FOIA makes provision for public authorities to refuse requests for information where the cost of dealing with them would exceed the appropriate limit, which for public authorities, such as the Commission, is set at £450. This represents the estimated cost of one person spending 18 hours in determining whether the department holds the information, locating, retrieving and extracting the information.
When a public authority applies the Section 12 exemption to a request, the FOIA guidance specifically states that a public authority should avoid providing any information found as a result of a search as it denies the requestor the right to express a preference as to which parts of the request they may wish to receive within the appropriate time limit. Guidance on the application of section 12 can be viewed here:
If you are able to refine your request, for example a shorter date range or a specific type of case you wish to be searched, we may be able to narrow the number of records that we need to search.
Until we are able to process the search of the information you have requested, we are unable to ascertain if other exemptions will apply to any material identified which would also prevent disclosure.
Please note, any refined request would be processed as a new request and the 20-working day statutory time limit would apply.
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 new tab), Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.
Information Management Team
Gambling Commission