Guidance
Guidance to licensing authorities
The Gambling Commission's guidance for licensing authorities.
Contents
- Changes to the Guidance for Licensing Authorities
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Part 1: General guidance on the role and responsibilities of licensing authorities in gambling regulation
- - 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
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Part 6: Licensing authority policy statement
- - Introduction
- - Fundamental principles
- - Form and content
- - Other matters to be considered
- - Local risk assessments
- - Local area profile
- - Declaration by licensing authority
- - Consultation
- - Reviewing and updating the policy statement
- - Advertisement and publication
- - Additional information to be made available
- 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
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Part 17: Casinos
- - 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
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Part 20: Tracks
- - 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
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Part 34: Small society lotteries
- - 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 - Self-service betting terminals (SSBTs)
19.7. S.235(2)(c) provides that a machine is not a gaming machine if it is designed or adapted for use to bet on future real events. Some betting premises may make available machines that accept bets on live events, such as horse racing, as a substitute for placing a bet over the counter. These SSBTs are not gaming machines and therefore neither count towards the maximum permitted number of gaming machines, nor have to comply with any stake or prize limits. SSBTs merely automate the process that can be conducted in person and the Act exempts them from regulation as a gaming machine.
19.8. However, where a machine is made available to take bets on virtual races (that is, results and/or images generated by computer to resemble races or other events) that machine is a gaming machine and counts towards the maximum permitted number of gaming machines and must meet the relevant category limitations for the premises.
19.9. It is the Commission’s view that the use of SSBTs is a form of remote communication and that a remote licence will be required if SSBTs are used to facilitate the making or accepting of bets by others. The advice note Betting: advice for remote, non-remote and betting intermediaries (this advice note does not form part of the Guidance to licensing authorities) sets out the framework which the Commission applies when deciding whether it considers that a particular operator is offering betting or is acting as a betting intermediary and whether gambling is remote gambling or non-remote gambling.
19.10. S.181 contains an express power for licensing authorities to restrict the number of SSBTs, their nature and the circumstances in which they are made available by attaching a licence condition to a betting premises licence or to a casino premises licence (where betting is permitted in the casino). When considering whether to impose a condition to restrict the number of SSBTs in particular premises, the licensing authority, amongst other things, should take into account the ability of employees to monitor the use of the machines by children and young persons or by vulnerable people.
19.11. Where SSBTs include the functionality to be marketed or presented in foreign languages, licensing authorities may seek to ensure that the operator has considered the ordinary code provision (3.3.2) about making the following information also available in those languages:
- the information on how to gamble responsibly and access to help referred to in the LCCP
- the players’ guides to any game, bet or lottery required to be made available to customers under provisions in LCCP
- the summary of the contractual terms on which gambling is offered, which is required to be provided to customers as a condition of the licensee’s operating licence.
Self-exclusion Next section
Betting premises licence conditions
Last updated: 14 September 2023
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