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
1 - Introduction
23.1. The Act introduces a range of permits for gambling which are granted by licensing authorities. Permits are designed as a light-touch approach to low level ancillary gambling – they are used in circumstances where stakes and prizes are subject to very low limits and/or gambling is not the main function of the premises. The permits regulate gambling and the use of gaming machines in specific premises.
23.2. Holders of alcohol-licensed premises gaming machine permits, and club permits are required to comply with codes of practice drawn up by the Commission, on the location and operation of machines, namely the gaming machine permits code of practice.
23.3. The following parts of this guidance discuss, amongst other things, the various permits that licensing authorities are responsible for issuing:
- Part 24 of this guidance – family entertainment centre gaming machine permits, Schedule 10
- Part 25 of this guidance – club gaming permits and club machine permits, Schedule 12
- Part 26 of this guidance – alcohol-licensed premises gaming machine permits, Schedule 13
- Part 27 of this guidance –prize gaming permits, Schedule 14.
23.4. Licensing authorities may only grant or reject an application for a permit. No conditions may be attached to a permit.
23.5. There are different factors to be taken into account by licensing authorities when considering the different types of permit applications and further information is provided in the relevant parts of this guidance identified above.
23.6. In addition, licensing authorities are responsible for receiving notifications from holders of alcohol licences under the Licensing Act 2003 (opens in new tab) or the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 (opens in new tab), that they intend to exercise their automatic entitlement to two gaming machines in their premises under s.282 of the Act.
Last updated: 14 September 2023
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