Guidance
Guidance to licensing authorities
The Gambling Commission's guidance for licensing authorities.
Contents
- Changes to the Guidance for Licensing Authorities
- Part 1: General guidance on the role and responsibilities of licensing authorities in gambling regulation
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- Introduction
- Partnership working between the Commission and licensing authorities – shared regulation
- Co-ordination and contact
- Primary legislation
- Statutory aim to permit gambling
- The licensing objectives
- Codes of practice
- Licensing authority discretion (s.153 of the Act)
- Local risk assessments
- Licensing authority policy statement
- Limits on licensing authority discretion
- Other powers
- Part 2: The licensing framework
- Part 3: The Gambling Commission
- Part 4: Licensing authorities
- Part 5: Principles to be applied by licensing authorities
- Part 6: Licensing authority policy statement
- Part 7: Premises licences
- Part 8: Responsible authorities and interested parties definitions
- Part 9: Premises licence conditions
- Part 10: Review of premises licence by licensing authority
- Part 11: Provisional statements
- Part 12: Rights of appeal and judicial review
- Part 13: Information exchange
- Part 14: Temporary use notices
- Part 15: Occasional use notices
- Part 16: Gaming machines
- Part 17: Casinos
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- Casino premises
- Casino games
- Protection of children and young persons
- The process for issuing casino premises licences
- Resolutions not to issue casino licences
- Converted casinos (with preserved rights under Schedule 18 of the Act)
- Casino premises licence conditions
- Mandatory conditions – small casino premises licences
- Mandatory conditions – converted casino premises licences
- Default conditions attaching to all casino premises licences
- Self-exclusion
- Part 18: Bingo
- Part 19: Betting premises
- Part 20: Tracks
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- Definition of a track
- Track premises licences – differences from other premises licences
- Betting on tracks
- Licences and other permissions for the provision of betting facilities
- Betting on event and non-event days
- Social responsibility considerations for tracks
- Gaming machines
- Self-service betting terminals (SSBTs)
- Applications
- Licence conditions and requirements
- Part 21: Adult gaming centres
- Part 22: Licensed family entertainment centres
- Part 23: Introduction to permits
- Part 24: Unlicensed family entertainment centres
- Part 25: Clubs
- Part 26: Premises licensed to sell alcohol
- Part 27: Prize gaming and prize gaming permits
- Part 28: Non-commercial and private gaming, betting and lotteries
- Part 29: Poker
- Part 30: Travelling fairs
- Part 31: Crown immunity and excluded premises
- Part 32: Territorial application of the Gambling Act 2005
- Part 33: Door supervision
- Part 34: Small society lotteries
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- Small society lotteries
- The status of lotteries under the Act
- Licensing authority guidance
- Social responsibility
- External lottery managers’ licence status
- Lottery tickets
- Prizes
- Specific offences in relation to lotteries
- Application and registration process for small society lotteries
- Administration and returns
- Part 35: Chain gift schemes
- Part 36: Compliance and enforcement matters
- Appendix A: Summary of machine provisions by premises
- Appendix B: Summary of gaming machine categories and entitlements
- Appendix C: Summary of gaming entitlements for clubs and alcohol-licensed premises
- Appendix D: Summary of offences under the Gambling Act 2005
- Appendix E: Summary of statutory application forms and notices
- Appendix F: Inspection powers
- Appendix G: Licensing authority delegations
- Appendix H: Poker games and prizes
- Appendix I: Glossary of terms
5 - Bingo in clubs and alcohol-licensed premises
18.13. Bingo is a class of equal chance gaming permitted on alcohol-licensed premises, and in clubs and miners’ welfare institutes, under the allowances for exempt gaming in Part 12 of the Act. There are regulations setting controls on this form of gaming, to ensure that it remains a low stakes and prizes activity (SI 2007/1940: The Gambling Act 2005 (Exempt Gaming in Alcohol-Licensed Premises) Regulations 2007 (opens in new tab) and SI No. 1944; The Gambling Act 2005 (Exempt Gaming in Clubs) Regulations 2007 (opens in new tab)).
18.14. In addition, rules are laid down in the Act about the playing of bingo specifically in alcohol-licensed premises, clubs and miners’ welfare institutes12. Where the level of bingo played in these premises reaches a certain threshold, it will no longer be authorised by these rules and a bingo operating licence will have to be obtained from the Commission for future bingo games. Even in this circumstance, bingo can still only be offered under the rules for exempt gaming. The aim of these provisions is to prevent bingo becoming a predominant commercial activity on such non-gambling premises.
18.15. The threshold is reached if the bingo played during any seven-day period exceeds £2,000 (either in money taken or prizes awarded) once in a year, referred to as ‘high turnover bingo’. There is a legal duty on the licensee or club to inform the Commission if they offer high turnover bingo in any seven day period. This allows the Commission to monitor the bingo activity on the premises and discuss with the relevant licensee or club the point at which a bingo operating licence may be needed. A ‘high turnover period’ begins with the first day of the seven day period in which the threshold was exceeded and lasts for a year. If a second period of high turnover bingo occurs within that year, a bingo operating licence will be required. Where bingo is played in a members club under a bingo operating licence no premises licence will be required.
18.16. If it comes to the attention of licensing authorities that alcohol-licensed premises or clubs or institutes are playing bingo during the course of a week which involves significant stakes and prizes, that makes it possible that the £2,000 in seven days is being exceeded, authorities should inform the Commission. To help clubs and institutes to comply with the full range of statutory requirements for gaming, the Commission has developed a statutory code of practice The Code of Practice for gaming in clubs and premises with an alcohol licence.
18.17. The eight large casinos will be able to offer bingo. Bingo will be permitted as part of their casino premises licence and they will not require a separate bingo premises licence, though they will need to obtain a bingo operating licence (which may be combined with their casino licence) in order to offer facilities for bingo at a casino. The standards in this respect will be no lower than for operators seeking only to provide facilities for bingo alone.
References
12 For further information see Blog: Running bingo events at nightclubs and student union bars and Feature article - Social Bingo.
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Bingo premises licence conditions
Last updated: 23 November 2023
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