Gambling

Statement of principles

The Gambling Act 2005 requires licensing authorities to prepare and publish a three-year licensing policy known as a statement of principles. This outlines the principles the council will apply in exercising their functions under the Gambling Act.

Our current policy can be found in the downloads section.

Our main functions under the Gambling Act is:

• to issue premises licences for casinos, betting offices and race tracks, bingo clubs, adult gaming centres, and family entertainment centres   
• to grant permits for gaming machines in members’ clubs and licensed premises, prize gaming and unlicensed family entertainment centres  
• to authorise the temporary use of premises for gambling
• to register small society lotteries

There are three licensing objectives which underpin the Gambling Act:

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

Premises licences

A premises licence authorises a person with a gambling operating licence to use a premises to provide gambling facilities.

To apply for a premises licence, a person must first have an operating licence (issued by the Gambling Commission) or an application submitted for an operating licence and the right to occupy the premises. If the premises is situated partly in West Lindsey and partly elsewhere, then the application should be made to one licensing authority, who will then notify the other of the application.

Under section 150, premises licences can authorise the provision of facilities on:

Casino premises

Authorises all games of chance. Any form of bingo is not permitted unless it is a premises licence for a large casino. We no longer issue casino operating licences. Casino operating licence applications should be made to the Gambling Commission.

Bingo premises

Allows any form of prize gaming but limits have been set on individual and aggregated stakes and prizes to ensure that such gaming is restricted to low stakes.

Betting premises

Including tracks and premises used by betting intermediaries.

Adult gaming centre

Premises for category B3, B4, C and D machines. Prize gaming is allowed.

Family entertainment centre

Premises for category C and D machines. We may issue a family entertainment centre gaming machine permit, which authorises the use of category D machines only. Licensed family entertainment centres are allowed to provide prize gaming. Unlicensed family entertainment centres can only offer equal chance prize gaming, through a gaming machine permit.

Fees for different types of premises licences can be found on our Gambling Act 2005 fees page.

More detailed information about premises licences can be found on the Gambling Commission's guidance to licensing authorities pages.

Permits

Gaming machine permit

See our gaming machine permit (licensed premises) page.

Club gaming permit

A club gaming permit is available to members’ clubs or miners’ welfare institutes, but not commercial clubs. They are valid for 10 years unless applied for under the fast track procedure and there is a fee of £50 due annually. A club gaming permit allows the club to offer the following, but restrictions apply:

• equal chance gaming such as poker and bingo
• games of chance (pontoon and chemin de fer only)
• up to three gaming machines in total of categories B3A, B4, C or D, but by agreement, only one machine can be of category B3A.

Club machine permit

A club machine permit is available to members’ clubs, miners’ welfare institutes, and commercial clubs. They are valid for 10 years unless applied for under the fast track procedure and there is a fee of £50 due annually. A club machine permit allows the club to offer the following, but restrictions apply:

• equal chance gaming such as poker and bingo
• up to three gaming machines in total of categories B3A, B4, C or D, but by agreement, only one machine can be of category B3A (B3A not permitted for commercial clubs).

Prize gaming permit

Prize gaming is where the nature and size of the prize is not determined by the number of people playing or the amount paid for or raised by the gaming (normally the prizes are determined before play commences). A prize gaming permit is valid for 10 years and no annual fee is payable. It authorises the provision of facilities for gaming with prizes where there is not already a premises licence or club gaming permit. The applicant must occupy (or plan to occupy) the premises and be aged over 18.

Children may only participate in equal chance prize gaming.

Unlicensed family entertainment centres

Unlicensed family entertainment centres are premises wholly or mainly used for making category D gaming machines available, but with no limits as to how many can be sited. Permits are issued for 10 years and no annual fee is payable. 

Fees for the different types of permits can be found on our Gambling Act 2005 fees page.

Temporary Use Notices

Temporary Use Notices (TUN) allow a gambling operator (registered with the Gambling Commission) to temporarily use a premises which has no gambling premises licence for the provision of gaming, for no more than 21 days in any 12 month period.

A TUN can only be used to offer a form of gambling which is authorised by the operator’s operating licence (not including gaming machines) so consideration should be given as to whether the form of gambling being offered on the premises will be remote, non-remote, or both. A TUN can also only be used to permit the provision of facilities for equal chance gaming, and where the gaming in each tournament is intended to produce a single overall winner.

We, and the other notifiable parties, must receive a TUN at least 3 months and 1 day before the proposed event. The fee for this type of notice can be found on our Gambling Act 2005 fees page under ‘Miscellaneous’.

More detailed information about Temporary Use Notices can be found on the Gambling Commission’s web page.

Occasional Use Notices

Occasional Use Notices (OUN) permit a track* to be used for the purpose of betting without a premises licence, providing it is used for betting on no more than 8 days per calendar year. An OUN can cover consecutive days so long as this does not exceed the 8 day limit. Only licensed betting operators can provide the betting facilities at the track. Non-commercial, fundraising race nights can be run as betting events at sporting venues under the authority of an OUN, even if the sporting event being bet on is not held at that venue and/or not taking place at the same time as the betting. There is no fee for this type of notice.

*land can be used temporarily as a track, for example for a point-to-point race, provided that sporting events or races take place there. There is no need for a track to be permanently established.

More detailed information about Occasional Use Notices can be found on the Gambling Commission’s web page.

Small society lotteries

See our small society lottery registration page.

List of responsible authorities