Gambling licences

Gambling Act 2005

The Gambling Act 2005 received Royal assent on 7 April 2005 and modernised the law on gambling and introduced a new regulator for gambling, the Gambling Commission. This body replaced the Gaming Board for Great Britain. Responsibility for the licensing of gambling premises is given to local authorities. These include premises licences for casinos, bingo halls, betting offices, adult gaming centres and licensed family entertainment centres and permits for gaming machines in pubs and other alcohol licensed premises.

Licensing objectives

The Act contains three licensing objectives, which underpin the functions that the Gambling Commission and councils acting in their capacity as licensing authorities will perform. These objectives are central to the new regulatory regime created by the Act and are:

• Preventing gambling from being a source of crime or disorder, being associated with crime or disorder, or being used to support crime
• Ensuring that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way
• Protecting children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling

Three types of licence are required by the new Act:

• Operator Licence - concerned with the management and conduct of gambling.
• Personal Licence - for persons with key operational functions connected with the gambling business.
• Premises Licence - for the property where the gambling takes place.

Operators and Personal Licences will be issued and regulated by the Gambling Commission and responsibility for the issue and regulation of Premises Licences will be given to local authorities.

Statement of Gambling Policy 2019 - 2022

Licensing Authorities are required to prepare and publish, every three years, a statement of the principles that they propose to apply when exercising their functions under the Act during the three year period to which the policy applies. The current policy came into effect on 31 January 2016.

• View the Statement of Gambling Policy 2019 - 2022
• View the Local Area Profile

The policy is also available for inspection in the following:

• Central Library, Smithford Way, Coventry - during normal opening hours.

The Council is under a duty to protect the public funds it administers, and will use the information you have provided on this form for the prevention and deduction of fraud. It will also share this information with other bodies responsible for auditing, administering public funds and will use it for comparison across the Council and with external organisations for the prevention and the detection of fraud. For further information, see data matching and the national fraud initiative.