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
- 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
- Introduction
- Operating licences
- How operating licences are granted
- Operating licence conditions and codes
- Personal licences
- Premises licences
- Part 3: The Gambling Commission
- Introduction
- Main functions of the Commission
- Relationship between the Commission and licensing authorities
- Part 4: Licensing authorities
- Part 5: Principles to be applied by licensing authorities
- Licensing objectives
- Section 153 principles
- Codes of practice
- Good practice in regulation
- Human Rights Act 1998
- Other considerations
- 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
- Introduction
- Premises
- Access to premises
- Multiple activity premises – layout and access
- Applications
- Application for premises variation (s.187): ‘material change’
- Consideration of planning permission and building regulations
- Part 8: Responsible authorities and interested parties definitions
- Part 9: Premises licence conditions
- Introduction
- Conditions and authorisations by virtue of the Act
- Conditions attached through regulations made by the Secretary of State or Scottish Ministers – all premises
- Conditions that may not be attached to premises licences by licensing authorities
- Part 10: Review of premises licence by licensing authority
- Introduction
- Initiation of review by licensing authority
- Application for a review
- Carrying out a review
- Part 11: Provisional statements
- Part 12: Rights of appeal and judicial review
- Part 13: Information exchange
- Underlying principles
- Information licensing authorities provide to the Commission
- Other licensing authority information requirements
- Part 14: Temporary use notices
- Part 15: Occasional use notices
- Part 16: Gaming machines
- Introduction
- Categories of gaming machine
- Age restrictions
- Maximum number of machines by premises type
- Multiple activity premises
- The meaning of ‘available for use’
- Machines other than gaming machines in gambling premises
- 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
- Introduction
- Protection of children and young persons
- Gaming machines
- Self-exclusion
- Bingo in clubs and alcohol-licensed premises
- Bingo premises licence conditions
- Part 19: Betting premises
- Introduction
- Protection of children and young persons
- Gaming machines
- Self-exclusion
- Self-service betting terminals (SSBTs)
- Betting premises licence conditions
- Industry codes
- 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
- Introduction
- Protection of children and young persons
- Self-exclusion
- Gaming machines
- AGC premises licence conditions
- Part 22: Licensed family entertainment centres
- Introduction
- Protection of children and young persons
- Meaning of premises
- Licensed FEC premises licence conditions
- Part 23: Introduction to permits
- Part 24: Unlicensed family entertainment centres
- Introduction
- Applying for a permit
- Granting or refusing a permit
- Lapse, surrender and forfeiture
- Renewal
- Maintenance
- Part 25: Clubs
- Defining clubs
- Bingo in clubs
- Betting in clubs
- Exempt gaming
- Protection of children and young persons
- Permits
- Appeals
- Part 26: Premises licensed to sell alcohol
- Introduction
- Automatic entitlement to two machines
- Licensed premises gaming machine permits
- Exempt gaming
- Bingo
- Betting
- Commission codes of practice
- Scotland
- Protection of children and young persons
- Prohibited gaming
- Part 27: Prize gaming and prize gaming permits
- Part 28: Non-commercial and private gaming, betting and lotteries
- Introduction
- Non-commercial gaming
- Private gaming
- Private betting
- Incidental lotteries
- Non-commercial ‘casino night’
- Non-commercial race night
- Part 29: Poker
- Introduction
- Poker in casinos
- Poker as exempt gaming in clubs and alcohol licensed premises
- Poker as non-commercial gaming
- Poker as private gaming
- Advertising
- 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
- 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
- Fees
- Enforcement officers and authorised persons
- Powers of entry – England and Wales
- Powers of entry in Scotland
- Illegal gambling
- Test purchasing and age verification
- Primary Authority
- Prosecutions
- Other powers
- Case law, templates and case studies
- 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 - Administration and returns
34.49. As the purpose of permitted lotteries is to raise money for non-commercial causes, the Act requires that a minimum proportion of the money raised by the lottery is channelled to the goals of the society that promoted the lottery. If a small society lottery does not comply with these limits, it will be in breach of the Act’s provisions, and consequently be liable to prosecution.
34.50. The limits are as follows:
- at least 20 percent of the lottery proceeds must be applied to the purposes of the society (Schedule 11, paragraph 33)
- no single prize may be worth more than £25,000 (Schedule 11, paragraph 34)
- rollovers between lotteries are only permitted where every lottery affected is also a small society lottery promoted by the same society, and the maximum single prize is £25,000 (Schedule 11, paragraph 35)
- every ticket in the lottery must cost the same and the society must take payment for the ticket fee before entry into the draw is allowed (Schedule 11, paragraph 37).
34.51. Paragraph 39 of Schedule 11 in the Act sets out the information that the promoting society of a small society lottery must send as returns to the licensing authority with which it is registered, following each lottery held. This information allows licensing authorities to assess whether financial limits are being adhered to and to ensure that any money raised is applied for the proper purpose.
34.52. The following information must be submitted:
- the arrangements for the lottery – specifically the date on which tickets were available for sale or supply, the dates of any draw and the value of prizes, including any donated prizes and any rollover
- the total proceeds of the lottery
- the amounts deducted by the promoters of the lottery in providing prizes, including prizes in accordance with any rollovers
- the amounts deducted by the promoters of the lottery in respect of costs incurred in organising the lottery
- the amount applied to the purpose for which the promoting society is conducted (this must be at least 20 percent of the proceeds)
- whether any expenses incurred in connection with the lottery were not paid for by deduction from the proceeds, and, if so, the amount of expenses and the sources from which they were paid.
34.53. Paragraph 39 of Schedule 11 in the Act also requires that returns must:
- be sent to the licensing authority no later than three months after the date of the lottery draw, or in the case of ‘instant lotteries’ (scratchcards) within three months of the last date on which tickets were on sale
- be signed (electronic signatures are acceptable if the return is sent electronically) by two members of the society, who must be aged 18 or older, are appointed for the purpose in writing by the society or, if it has one, its governing body, and be accompanied by a copy of their letter or letters of appointment.
34.54. The Commission may inspect a society’s returns, although it will not routinely do so. As such, licensing authorities are required to retain returns for a minimum period of three years from the date of the lottery draw. They should also make them available for inspection by the general public for a minimum period of 18 months following the date of the lottery draw. Licensing authorities should ensure that information is made available to the public regarding the location of statements, when they can be viewed and the cost of obtaining copies.
34.55. Licensing authorities should allow for returns to be sent to them both electronically and manually. The Commission recommends that each licensing authority should make details concerning the form of returns required available through appropriate media, such as licensing authority websites and leaflets.
34.56. Where societies run more than one lottery in a calendar year, licensing authorities must monitor the cumulative totals of returns to ensure that societies do not breach the annual monetary limit of £250,000 on ticket sales. Licensing authorities must notify the Commission if returns reveal that a society’s lotteries have exceeded the values permissible, and such notifications should be copied to the society in question. The Commission will contact the society to determine if they are going to apply for a lottery operator’s licence, thereby enabling them to run large society lotteries lawfully, and will inform the licensing authority of the outcome of its exchanges with the society.
34.57. Licensing authorities will also need to be aware of the status of external lottery managers, when monitoring returns. They are an individual, a firm or a company appointed by a society to manage a lottery or lotteries on behalf of the society and are generally consultants that take their fees from the expenses of the lottery. A maximum of 80 percent of a lottery’s proceeds may be attributed to expenses and prizes, and managers’ fees must be included within this total.
Previous sectionApplication and registration process for small society lotteries
Last updated: 14 September 2023
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