Casinos
Permitted Areas:
The Gaming Act 1968 regulates casinos in Great Britain. There were 126 casinos in England, Scotland and Wales at the end of March 2003. The Government does not restrict the number of licences, but casinos can be located only in certain areas of the country known as 'permitted areas'.
Existing permitted areas
London: that area which is within the area specified in the licensing (Metropolitan Special Hours Area) Order 1961 - plus the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
Other permitted areas in the UK are:
Aberdeen
Birkenhead
Birmingham
Blackpool
Bolton
Bournemouth
Bradford
Brighton
Bristol
Cardiff
Coventry
Derby
Dudley
Dundee
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Great Yarmouth
Hove
Huddersfield
Kingston upon Hull
Leeds
Leicester
Liverpool
Luton
Lytham St Annes
Manchester
Margate
Newcastle Upon Tyne
Northampton
Nottingham
Plymouth Porstmouth
Ramsgate
Reading
Ryde
Salford
Sandown/Shanklin
Scarborough
Sheffield
Southampton
Southend-on-Sea
Southport
Stockport
Stoke-on-Trent
Sunderland
Swansea
Teeside/Middlesborough
Torbay
Walsall
Warley
West Bromwich
Wolverhampton
Casino licensing arrangements
The first step for a would-be casino operator is to obtain a Certificate of Consent from the Gaming Board for Great Britain. An application for a gaming licence cannot succeed without this certificate. The Board has to be satisfied that the operator is a 'fit and proper' person to run a casino.
It must also consider the capability, diligence, reputation and financial standing and other relevant circumstances of the persons involved in the application. The rules are set out in Schedule 2 paragraph 3 of The Gaming Act 1968 and in the Gaming Board for Great Britain's web site.
Once the would-be casino operator has obtained the Gaming Board's Certificate of Consent, he can apply for the issue of a gaming licence from a local Magistrates Court or Licensing Board in Scotland. This enables the applicant to provide commercial gaming in premises to which the licence relates (i.e. a casino).
The licensing committee will consider whether a substantial 'demand' already exists. It can refuse an application if it considers there is insufficient unmet demand. The mechanisms for dealing with applications for a gaming licence are set out in Schedule 2 paragraph 5 of the Gaming Act 1968.
Proposed changes
Ministers in DCMS remain committed to the introduction of a Gambling Bill as early as possible during 2004. The exact timing of that introduction will depend on the availability of Parliamentary time. The Bill proposes a major reform of the gambling laws and will have a major impact on the way casinos are regulated. Some of the key proposals in the Bill include:
- Abolition of the 'permitted areas' status
- Abolition of the 24 hour membership rule
- Aboilition of the 'demand' test for casinos
- Potential for 'resort' casinos
Last updated 23 April 2004
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