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
10 - Licence conditions and requirements
The role of track premises licence holders
20.62. Since September 2012 on-course bookmakers have entered into licences with racecourses regarding the allocation of betting positions. The responsibilities of track premises licence holders are established by the mandatory and default licence conditions attaching to their premises licence. The licensed betting operators authorised by track owners to provide betting facilities at tracks must comply with their operating licence conditions and codes of practice issued by the Commission.
Acceptance of bets
20.63. Under s.33(2) of the Act, only licensed betting operators may accept bets or provide facilities for gambling. The Commission is responsible for issuing betting operating licences, and each betting operator must comply with the conditions of their operating licence. The Commission can invoke penalties or revoke licences if they fail to do so.
Pool betting
20.64. By virtue of s.179 of the Act, a track premises licence may only authorise the acceptance of bets by way of pool betting on horseracing or dog racing, and if the bets are accepted by the holder of the track premises licence or in accordance with arrangements made by him. Additionally, pool betting on a licensed greyhound track will only be permitted while the public are admitted to the track for the purpose of attending greyhound races, and no other sporting events are taking place. A mandatory condition is attached to the premises licence to this effect (SI 2007/1409: Gambling Act 2005 (Mandatory and Default Conditions) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 (opens in new tab), Schedule 6(3)(1)).
Admission of betting operators
20.65. It is a mandatory premises licence condition of track premises licences that the licence holder makes arrangements to ensure that the betting operators they admit to their track operate under valid operating licences.
20.66. Track premises licence holders, or their appointees, are therefore responsible for identifying and admitting those providing facilities for betting to operate on-course. This means both betting operating licence holders themselves and persons ‘employed by the licensee under a written contract of employment’ (Section 92 of the Act).
20.67. Track premises licence holders are responsible for determining their own arrangements for the verification of betting operators. As part of this process, the track premises licence holder should make arrangements for ensuring that the betting operator holds an operating licence.
20.68. There are special regulatory arrangements in place which mean that not all employees need to be listed on the licence, referred to as Schedule Y arrangements (Schedule Y operator is an employee whose details have been provided to the Commission as authorised by the licensee to accept bets on their behalf otherwise than under the supervision of a qualified person on the same track). This means that bookmakers’ assistants - such as computer operators and floormen - do not need to appear on the operator’s licence. This light touch regulatory position allows for existing arrangements for supervision.
20.69. In instances where an operator holds more than one betting position at a track, they can staff their subsequent positions with non-licensed employees as long as those betting positions are networked to the first pitch and the operator or a Schedule Y representative is in attendance at the track and operating the primary pitch. In this situation the licensee or Schedule Y representative is responsible for all actions carried out by employees on the pitches that he is not physically standing on.
20.70. Licensing authorities should be aware that, as track premises licence holders are required through mandatory licence conditions to make arrangements for identifying and admitting only valid betting operating licence holders to offer betting on-track, different arrangements may be in place at different tracks to achieve this. Licensing authorities are advised to make themselves aware of the processes used by tracks that they license in their localities.
Removal of illegal betting operators
20.71. Track premises licence holders are required by a mandatory licence condition to take reasonable steps to remove from the racecourse anybody found to be providing facilities for gambling without authorisation - in effect illegal bookmakers. This could include someone claiming to be a representative of a licensed betting operator who has been unable to prove their identity to the track premises licensee. Failure to uphold this requirement could result in action being taken against the premises licence holder.
20.72. Track premises licence holders should have policies and procedures for identifying illegal gambling in addition to the mandatory requirement to verify that betting operators offering betting facilities on their track hold suitable operating licences.
Display of rules
20.73. It is a mandatory condition of premises licences that clear and accessible information about the terms on which a bet may be placed must be displayed at betting premises, including tracks. The terms or rules of betting is a consideration of the Commission in respect of the licensing of betting operators.
20.74. There are often multiple locations of betting on a track. For instance, on a large racecourse there may be a number of betting rings and pool betting outlets and at least one betting shop, while at a football ground there could be several betting booths located throughout the various stadium concourses.
20.75. It may be considered disproportionate and unnecessary to insist that betting rules are displayed at each distinct betting location; rather, the rules should be made available at suitable central locations. The track premises licence holder should make the necessary arrangements to ensure that betting rules are accessible to all customers, regardless of which area of the track they are in. If certain areas are restricted to certain customers (such as different stands within a football ground) then rules could be displayed at various parts of the track. Other measures could be taken to ensure that they are made available to the public, such as printing them in the race-card or programme. The requirement could also be met by making a copy of the rules available in leaflet form from the main track office, and customers could be given a copy if they request one.
20.76. As track premises licence holders do not necessarily provide betting facilities themselves (unless they hold a pool betting licence), they do not have their own set of betting rules to apply. In such cases, the licence holder should make it clear that the operator’s betting rules will apply. At horserace meetings, for example, betting operators generally abide by Tattersall’s Rules on Betting (opens in new tab), and as such the premises licence holder should make this clear to customers. At a sports stadium where betting facilities are provided by a high street operator, the track licence holder may choose to state on the centrally provided notice that the rules followed by the betting operator will apply throughout the track.
20.77. Betting operators offering betting facilities on racecourses and at greyhound tracks are required through the conditions of their operating licence to clearly display any of their own rules that differ from those that the track premises licence holder elects to display, and their rules concerning voids, late bets, and maximum pay-outs. Track premises licence holders are expected to refer customers to the rules of individual on-course betting operators who are required to display this information on their stands (often referred to as ‘bookmaker joints’).
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Last updated: 14 September 2023
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