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Guidance to licensing authorities The process for issuing casino premises licences

A central objective behind the reform of the 80/20 rule is to enable operators to have greater commercial flexibility over their product offer of Category B, C and D gaming machines. This means, for example, that operators will be able to site 2 Category B cabinet gaming machines to a minimum of one Category C or D gaming machine. The government intends to amend the current gaming machine ratio to allow operators to make 2 Category B gaming machines available to a minimum of one Category C and D gaming machine. Equally, we want to ensure that customers receive a genuine offer of lower staking gaming machines as an important mitigation against gambling-related harm. Chapter 5 ‘Review of licensing authority fees’ outlines proposed changes to premises licence fees for Small 2005 Act casinos, which 1968 Act casinos that elect to move onto the new regime will also be subject to. The government intends for operating and premises licence fees to be harmonised between 1968 Act casinos and Small 2005 Act casinos.

An existing Small 2005 Act casino wishes to utilise the new table to gaming machines ratio alongside a reduction in its minimum required table gaming area. The Regulations enable the licensee to show (as required) the location and extent of any part of the premises which will be a table gaming area (previous regulations did not require the plan for a converted casino premises licence to include a table gaming area). An existing converted casino premises licence holder wishes to utilise the new extended gaming machine entitlements. If a current gambling area in a converted casino is simply to be reassigned for the provision of betting facilities (which is authorised by the new Regulations as of 22 July), without any changes to the gambling and non-gambling areas as shown on the premises plan, then it would not require a premises licence variation. An existing licensed 1968 Act casino operator already holds an operating licence for remote betting and wishes to make use of the new Regulations to provide SSBT facilities in its casino. An existing licensed 1968 Act casino operator already holds an operating licence for non-remote betting and wishes to make use of the new Regulations to provide non-remote sports betting facilities in its casino (without providing any Self- Service Betting Terminal (SSBT) facilities).

The flat additional application fee payable for a licence that combines all three of these activities is £3,140. The flat additional application fee payable for a licence that combines all three of these activities is £2,512. If these changes affect how your personal data is processed, DCMS will take reasonable steps to let you know. Any changes to this privacy policy will apply to you and your data immediately. You may also contact them to seek independent advice about data protection, privacy and data sharing. If you believe that your personal data has been misused or mishandled, you may make a complaint to the Information Commissioner, who is an independent regulator.

This will be used to model the estimated increase in GGY for each option in the non gamstop casino final impact assessment. Therefore, we cannot currently estimate the total increase in GGY for each option. We welcome further evidence on this in the consultation response. Energy costs per machine will be estimated in the final stage impact assessment using an energy calculator.

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Some have expressed a desire to do more to apply local considerations in their areas when making licensing decisions. For example, existing powers, such as local policy statements, allow licensing authorities to account for factors such as public health and crime. In England and Wales, the government sets a cap and licensing authorities have flexibility below that to set their fees. The maximum annual fee for an adult gaming centre (arcade) is £1,000 in England and Wales, and £700 in Scotland. For example, the maximum annual fee for a large casino is £10,000 in England and Wales, and £7,500 in Scotland.

The most important factor is a valid UK Gambling Commission licence, which you can verify on the UKGC website. Most operators allow you to browse the lobby without creating an account, which gives you a sense of how the interface performs. Mobile-optimised websites accessed through a browser are the more common approach among newer operators. Knowing what to look for protects both your money and your personal data. Signing up at a UKGC-licensed casino is a straightforward process.

We think that the starting point for these thresholds should be deposits of £150 and 20 minutes of play across all machines but understand that further evidence may arise during its consultation. We think that the requirements of account verification, transaction limit, and deposit limits, alongside a minimum transaction time will provide appropriate safeguards for these lower stake machines. We do not propose that Category D machines are required to allow customers to set time and monetary thresholds in order to accept direct debit card payments. The pub sector argued that it would be disproportionate, cost-prohibitive and unlikely to be achievable on these types of machines. Some concerns were raised by industry about the technical feasibility of voluntary limits, particularly for Category D crane grab machines.

Subsections (2) and (3) provide that a betting track may be subject to more than one premises licence, but that no more than one premises licence can operate in relation to any area of the track. 413.The general position for premises licensing is that premises may only be subject to one premises licence at a time. 410.Under Part 1 of the Act, the Secretary of State will make regulations defining classes of casinos.

We also strongly disagree with the assertion that Category D crane grab machines should not have a maximum transaction limit. They also said that there should not be a maximum transaction limit on Category D crane grab machines. For example, a person leaving a gaming machine to go to an ATM will be required to enter their PIN.

As a result, these venues will be entitled to choose between adopting any revised entitlement set down in legislation following this consultation or retaining the four Category B machine allowance for AGC premises and eight Category B machine allowance for bingo premises. The proposals outlined in this consultation to reform the 80/20 rule will again permit AGC and bingo premises to retain these legacy rights where the relevant premises licence was granted before 13 July 2011. Further information about premises licence fees are outlined in Chapter 5. The Gambling Commission will also need to be notified of an operator’s projected annual licence fee category based on GGY for the forthcoming licence period, so that the correct fees can be paid.

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Industry respondents asserted that these machines are underused but energy intensive. Industry responses argue that the current 80/20 ratio creates a disincentive to modernise older analogue Category C cabinets as they lack customer demand, yet operators are required to maintain them to meet the ratio. Many older Category C cabinet machines are reported to produce GGY at the lower end of that scale as they are outdated and less appealing to customers.

For example, we do not think that it would be appropriate for a casino that has a gambling area of 280sqm and a table gaming and non-gambling area of 140sqm to be able to site 40 SSBTs alongside 25 gaming machines and at least five gaming tables. The primary benefit of this measure is increased GGY for casinos that take up additional gaming machines. Gambling operators must ensure that their supervision and monitoring of gaming machines enables them to meet the requirements of the Act and conditions of their licence. For those customers who switch from other casino products to gaming machines as a result of this measure, the risk of increased gambling harm as a result of these measures may be limited.

This process of formal review – Section 116 of the Gambling Act 2005 – can result in almost any sort of penalty from the regulator, including suspension and revocation of licences. Personal licences tend to have a five-year duration and must, however, be renewed. This distinction cannot be ignored, and the regulator has no power to grant a licence that authorises both remote and land-based activity.

As part of the increase in premises fees, industry responses highlighted that they would like to see licensing authorities invest in further staff training to increase knowledge and understanding of gambling legislation, which in their view, would improve engagement. In response to the questions as to how much annual funding is needed for administration and enforcement of licences, the average amount stated by licensing authorities was £45,000. The respondents received an average of 2 premises licence applications and held an average of 44 live premises licences, per licensing authority, over the same period. By contrast, the majority of gambling operators, across all sectors (bingo, arcade, casino and betting) advocated for either no increase or a small increase of 10%. This chapter of the consultation received 40 responses, primarily from licensing authorities and gambling operators.

They also stated that individual gambling businesses should be allowed to decide if they would like to update their systems to provide direct debit card payments as it would be a significant cost to businesses to update all machines to have this functionality. We expect that operators will ensure that Category C and D machines made available to meet the ratio are available for use and have genuine customer appeal. We received some responses which suggested that Option 1 would be preferable to Option 2(a) for ensuring that a genuine offer of Category C and D machines are made available to customers. In respect of ensuring that customers receive a genuine offer of Category C and D machines, Option 2 is the only option which we believe would achieve this objective better than Option 2(a).

Compliance activity is based on risk and the risk that each licensed activity poses to the Gambling Commission’s licensing objectives. An important part of the Gambling Commission’s work is to ensure that licence holders are compliant. We will send you a letter explaining which documents are missing and you’ll need to reapply online. We will ask you to provide information about you and your business as part of your licence application. A casino application can take up to 16 weeks to process depending on the complexity of your business.

A provisional statement may be obtained from a licensing authority, in advance of a premises licence, where premises are to be constructed or altered, or where someone has yet to acquire the right to occupy premises. Pool-betting on a track, by the track occupier, will require a pool betting operating licence to be held. Premises licences will be granted by licensing authorities (as defined in section 2), not the Commission. 400.Part 8 of the Act describes the new regime for the licensing of premises where facilities for gambling may be provided. Licesning authorities notify the Commission when they issue these licences and the Commission maintains a database of these notifications. Licensing authorities are responsible for issuing premises licences.

From selling personal data and identity theft to promoting gambling to vulnerable players, these safety regulations are important. Safety is the biggest factor for us, as licensed casinos are required to comply with the UKGC’s regulations. 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). 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. Obtaining a gambling license for an offline casino in the UK is impossible without permission to own and operate dedicated gambling premises. The United Kingdom is one of the most developed countries in the gambling industry, where casinos and other forms of gambling are officially permitted.

• Information for existing or prospective gambling businesses including what types of licence you may need, how much they cost and the licence conditions and codes of practice that apply to your licence.
• While the Commission licenses operators and individuals, local authorities in England and Wales and licensing boards in Scotland license premises and have the power to place conditions on premises licences as well as to grant or refuse them.
• On 30 January 2007 Manchester was announced as the winning bid to be the location of the first super casino.
• As such, the consultation sought to understand if the regulatory framework could be strengthened to ensure that there is a consistent minimum offer of Category C and D gaming machines on cabinet devices in venues across the arcade and bingo sector.

We are often engaged in dealing with prosecutions for breach of licensing conditions and are also known for our work in reviews and in particularly contentious applications. As a full-service law firm, we offer licensing work as part of a service with other departments and disciplines such as commercial property or insolvency. Our team combines expertise in both licensing and business regulation.

These operators employ player protection measures like SSL encryption, secure payment portals, firewalls, and two-factor authentication to keep you and your data safe. Whatever your answer is, you should always choose British gambling sites running under a valid licence from the UKGC. Almost all UK casinos offer top-notch desktop sites you can access through your browser. If you prefer playing on a desktop, choosing any of the popular UK casinos will be good for you.

Responses from industry advocated for either no increase in the maximum chargeable premises fees or a small increase of 10%. A key stated benefit was the ability to undertake more proactive engagement and enforcement activities with licensed premises. Licensing authorities highlighted numerous benefits which would be achieved by increasing the maximum chargeable premises fees by 30%. However, a number of these responses stated that this would still be below the amount necessary to undertake their duties to the fullest extent. The majority of licensing authorities advocated for a 30% increase.