Gambling

Introduction

The Gambling Act 2005 (the Act) comes in to force on 01 September 2007. The act repeals the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Act 1963, the Gaming Act 1968 and the Lotteries and Amusement Act 1976. The Act covers two main activities:

• Providing facilities for gambling
• Using premises for gambling

The Act contains three licensing objectives that underpin the legislation:

• Preventing gambling from being a source of crime and 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 people from being harmed or exploited by gambling.

The Act transfers responsibility for granting gaming and betting permissions from licensing Justices and grants new powers to licensing authorities in relation to the licensing and regulation of the use of gambling premises.

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