Gambling

The Gambling Act 2005

To operate any of the following businesses you need a premises licence granted under the Gambling Act 2005 :

Casino premises licence
Bingo premises licence
Adult gambling centre premises licence
Family entertainment centre premises licence
Betting premises licence
Be authorised to make such an application (if applying on behalf of a company or partnership)
Hold an operating licence and certain members of staff may need to hold personal licences
Have the right to occupy the premises

You must:

Be 18 years old or older
Be authorised to make such an application (if applying on behalf of a company or partnership)
Hold an operating licence and certain members of staff may need to hold personal licences
Have the right to occupy the premises

Licences

To operate a gambling business, you must first apply for an operator licence and any relevant personal licences from the Gambling Commission. You can then apply to the council for a premises licence.

If your premises still need to be built or you do not have the right to occupy it, you should apply for a provisional statement.

All applications for licences must ensure the objectives of the Act are upheld, these are:

Preventing gambling from being (or being associated with) a source of crime and 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.

To apply

Application forms and further information can be found on the Gambling Commission's website.

Applications can be emailed with all the required documents to licensing@wokingham.gov.uk

Or post to:

Licensing
Wokingham Borough Council
Shute End, Wokingham
RG40 1BN

Fees and charges

Go to the fees and payments page to see details of how much it will cost.

Permits

The council can also provide permits for low-level gambling such as gaming machines, club gaming, family entertainment centre machines, prize gaming and temporary and occasional use notices.

Small Society Lotteries

Small society lotteries to raise money for charitable, sporting and other similar causes must be registered with the council in the area where the principal office of the society is located.

The total value of tickets for sale for a single lottery cannot exceed £20,000. The annual value of tickets for all lotteries per year must not exceed £250,000. If you plan to exceed either of these values, you must be licensed with the Gambling Commission.

Making an application for Small Society Lotteries

A registration fee is required with your application. The registration will last for 12 months and to maintain registration you will need to pay an annual fee.

You can download the application form for registration of a non commercial society (found below) and send to licensing@wokingham.gov.uk.

Or post to:

Licensing
Wokingham Borough Council
Shute End, Wokingham
RG40 1BN