Guidance
Information requirements from licensing authorities
Details on the information that we require from licensing authorities.
Contents
- Overview
- Age verification test purchasing results
- Club gaming permits and club machine permits
- Information about gambling-related crime
- Licensing authority annual returns
- - Licensing authority annual returns
- - Glossary of terms
- - Guidance on questions in licensing authority returns
- Licensing authority compliance events
- Local authority lotteries
- Other data and information
- Premises licences
- Small society lotteries
Premises licences
A premises licences is a licence, issued by a local licencing authority, that authorises gambling to take place in that premises.
Premises licences are required for persons or business that provide gambling facilities on:
- casino premises
- bingo premises
- betting premises (including tracks and premises used by betting intermediaries)
- adult gaming centres (for Category B, C and D gaming machines)
- family entertainment centres (for those with Category C and D gaming machines).
Other use of premises to legally provide gambling facilities, such as authorisations for alcohol licensed premises, clubs and miners’ welfare institutions, and family entertainment centres (for those with Category D gaming machines only), do not need a premises licence.
Applying for a premises licence
To obtain a premises licence, a person or business must first hold an operating licence from us authorising them to carry out the activity in respect of which the premises licence is applied for.
Before applying for a premises licence, a person or business may apply for a provisional statement in respect of a premise that is expected to be built, altered (for example, converted from a retail shop into a gambling premise), or that the person or business expects to acquire a right to occupy.
When a premises licence or provisional statement is applied for, the applicant must send a copy to us. Premises licence holders must also send us copies of applications to transfer or vary their premises licence(s), or apply for a reinstatement of any lapsed licence(s).
On receiving the application, we may make a representation to the local licensing authority about it.
A licensing authority must tell us if:
- they grant an application for a premises licence, provisional statement, or reinstatement of a premises licence
- they reject an application for a premises licence or provisional statement, or reinstatement of a premises licence
- they grant an application to transfer or vary a premises licence
- they reject an application to transfer or vary a premises licence
- a premises licence holder surrenders their licence(s)
- they become aware that a premises licence issued by them has lapsed
- a hearing is to be held where we have made a representation
- a review of a premises licence has been completed and a decision made.
To help us maintain accurate records, we find it useful if licensing authorities also inform us if they revoke a premises licence (for example, due to non-payment of the annual fee).
We use the data provided to maintain a register of premises licences, which we use to inform our compliance and enforcement work, and to monitor the licensing of premises nationally.
Notifications relating to premises licence must be sent, by email, to gclocalauthority@gamblingcommission.gov.uk.
Notifications should be sent to us within a month of the decision date.
Email notifications must include the following information:
- Gambling Commission account number of the operating licence holder (as it appears under ‘Account number’ on public register of operating licence holders)
- name of the operating licence holder (as it appears under ‘Account name’ on public register of operating licence holders)
- address of the premise (full address, including postcode)
- type of notification (grant premises licence, provisional statement, grant reinstatement, grant transfer, grant vary, reject premises licence, reject provisional statement, reject reinstatement, reject transfer, reject vary, surrender, revocation, lapse, hearing, review decision)
- date of the decision/notice
- reason(s) for a rejection, revocation or review decision (if appropriate)
- other detail (for example authorised activities or conditions added, amended or removed, or information about any transfers).
Other data and information Next section
Small society lotteries - Information requirements from licensing authorities
Last updated: 19 October 2021
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