Gaming
British law allows for three kinds of commercial gaming - casinos, bingo, and gaming machines (fruit machines).
Under current law, players at a casino or a bingo club must be either members or guests of a member.
There are an estimated 250,000 legally sited gaming machines. The law contains controls on their maximum stakes and prizes, which depend on their location.
Gaming Board
The Gaming Board for Great Britain regulates casinos, bingo, local authority lotteries, the larger society lotteries, and the suppliers of gaming machines. It is funded by a grant in aid from DCMS.
Bingo
The Government made an important deregulation of bingo clubs in March 2002. The changes:
- Abolish a requirement for bingo clubs to tell the licensing authority about changes in their charges to players
- Allow for more prizes in multiple bingo (the "National Game")
- Allow bingo clubs to have a mixture of £25 "AWP" gaming machines and up to four £500 "jackpot" ones, instead of having to choose between one and the other as before
In July 2002 the Government made some major increases to the money limits in bingo. In particular, the top prize in multiple bingo - which is played simultaneously by players all round the country - has gone up from £500,000 to £2 million. Bingo clubs will be able to add more money of their own to boost the prize funds in other games.
Casinos
In May 2002 the Gaming Board lifted its longstanding ban on casino customers being able to consume alcohol in the gaming area of the casino. Casinos will now be able to allow this as long as their alcohol licences permit it.
In July 2002, the Government abolished an absolute prohibition - in place since 1969 - on casinos providing live entertainment. Again, casinos will now be able to allow this as long as it is in accordance with their licences.
Lotteries
In June 2002 the Government doubled the key money limits on charity and other "society" lotteries. The new limits are:
- Maximum size of a single lottery - £2 million in ticket sales
- Maximum number of tickets that one "society" can sell in a year - £10 million
- Maximum prize - £200,000
- Maximum ticket price - £2
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