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Licensing authorities and objectives

Licensing authorities

Licensing authorities will have new powers to licence gambling premises within their area which include the following:

• Responsible for the licensing of premises where gambling activities are to take place by issuing Premises Licences;
• Issuing of Provisional Statements (in respect of premises yet to be built, altered or acquired);
• Regulating members’ clubs and miners’ welfare institutes who wish to undertake certain gaming activities by issuing Club Gaming Permits and/or Club Machine Permits;
• Issuing Club Machine Permits to Commercial Clubs;
• Granting permits for the use of certain lower stake gaming machines at unlicensed Family Entertainment Centres (existing function);
• Receiving notifications from alcohol licensed premises (under the Licensing Act 2003) of the use of two or fewer gaming machines;
• Issuing Licensed Premises Gaming Machine Permits for premises licensed to sell/supply alcohol for consumption on the licensed premises, under the Licensing Act 2003, where more than two machines are required;
• Registering small society lotteries below prescribed thresholds (existing function);
• Issuing Prize Gaming Permits (existing function);
• Receiving and Endorsing Temporary Use Notices;
• Receiving Occasional Use Notices;
• Providing information to the Gambling Commission regarding details of licences issued; and
• Maintaining registers of the permits and licences that are issued under these functions.

The Licensing Objectives

The Act contains three licensing objectives that underpin the functions that the Commission and licensing authorities will perform.  These objectives are central to the new regulatory regime created by the Act.  They are:

• Protecting children and other vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by gambling;

• Preventing gambling from being a source of crime or disorder, being associated with crime or disorder, or being used to support crime; and

• Ensuring that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way.

The Act sets out licensing functions to be exercised by the Commission in relation to operating and personal licences, and by licensing authorities in relation to the licensing of premises and the grant of certain permits.  In exercising these functions, the Commission and licensing authorities must be guided by the licensing objectives.