Cookies on the Gambling Commission website

The Gambling Commission website uses cookies to make the site work better for you. Some of these cookies are essential to how the site functions and others are optional. Optional cookies help us remember your settings, measure your use of the site and personalise how we communicate with you. Any data collected is anonymised and we do not set optional cookies unless you consent.

Set cookie preferences

You've accepted all cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. News
  3. Corporate

Gambling Commission wins Greene King appeal

09 February 2016

The Upper Tribunal has found that the Gambling Commission acted within its powers when it refused to grant Greene King a bingo operating licence to provide commercial bingo in its pubs.

At a hearing in London, Greene King’s lawyers argued that the Commission had exceeded its powers when it refused to grant a licence enabling Greene King to offer bingo as well as high stakes1 B3 and B4 gaming machines in some of its pubs. They argued that the Commission’s refusal trespassed on the territory of licensing authorities carrying out their premises licensing function.

Judge Howard Levenson rejected those arguments. Instead he found that the Commission has the legal power to refuse an application for an operating licence if it considers granting the application would not be reasonably consistent with the licensing objectives. He therefore ordered the case to be sent back to the First-tier Tribunal for reconsideration.

Helen Venn, Commission programme director, said: "We welcome the Upper Tribunal’s decision, which clarifies the Commission’s powers.

“In our view commercial betting, gaming and bingo and any associated high stakes and prize machines, should only be provided in separate premises licensed for that specific purpose – premises that adults make a deliberate choice to visit in order to gamble.”

1 Both B3 and B4 machines allow customers to gamble up to £2 a time, with B3s having a £500 jackpot and B4s having a top prize of £400. We have further information on gaming machine categories and where they can be played.

Note to editors

  1. More information about how we regulate the gambling industry.
  2. Useful statistics on the gambling industry.

For all media enquiries, please contact the Gambling Commission press office.

Last updated: 23 August 2021

Show updates to this content

No changes to show.

Is this page useful?
Back to top