Gambling Act 2005
The Gambling Act 2005 comes into effect from early 2007 and will:
- repeal most of the existing laws relating to gambling in Great Britain;
- replace them with an improved, more comprehensive structure of gambling regulation;
- transfer the responsibility for the licensing of gaming premises from the Magistrates to Licensing Authorities;
- introduces a unified regulator for gambling, the Gambling Commission.
Licensing Objectives
The Act contains three licensing objectives:
- 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; and
- protecting children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling.
Licences
Three types of licence are required by the new Act:
- an operator licence concerned with the management and conduct of gambling;
- a personal licence for persons with key operational functions connected with the gambling business;
- a premises licence for the property where the gambling takes place.
Operator's licences and personal licences are issued and regulated by the Gambling Commission, whilst responsibility for the issue and regulation of premises licences will rest with local authorities.
Application Forms
We will accept applications for Gambling Act 2005 premises licences from 21 May 2007. The forms to apply for a premises licence are available to download from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport website.
Fees
View the fee structure in pdf format.
Statement of Principles
Licensing authorities are required to prepare and publish a statement of the principles that they propose to apply when exercising their functions. Wealden’s Statement of Principles was available for consultation until the 29th September 2006. The consultation period has finished and the final version of the Statement of Principles (pdf) is now available.
Further Information
Publications and other materials related to the Gambling Act 2005, are available from the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) web site or the Gambling Commission web site.