Gambling Act 2005
Introduction
The Gambling Act 2005 (the Act) controls the way commercial gambling is licensed in Great Britain. We are the licensing authority for the Isle of Wight and work closely with the Gambling Commission who are the national gambling regulator.
A summary of the Act
  • Any person or business that wishes to operate a gambling business in the Isle of Wight such as a bookmakers or amusement arcade, must first apply for an operating licence and any relevant personal licences from the Gambling Commission
  • After this they can then apply to ourselves for a premises licence for each individual premises that they wish to licence in the area
  • Ourselves and the Gambling Commission will make our decisions in accordance with the three licensing objectives, which are;
    • preventing gambling being a source of crime or disorder
    • ensuring that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way
    • protecting children and the vulnerable from being harmed or exploited by gambling.
The Gambling Commission
The Gambling Commission was established to take over from the Gaming Board for Great Britain and is the national gambling regulator playing a key role in overseeing the Gambling Act 2005. The Commission issues personal and operating licences to gambling businesses and staff as well as various codes of practice about how gambling should be conducted.
They also investigate illegal gambling and have powers to prosecute organisers of such activity. The Gambling Commission also collect information from local authorities about gambling so that they can regulate gambling effectively and advise the government about the extent of gambling in the United Kingdom.

Council duties
We issue premises licenses for betting offices, race tracks, bingo clubs, adult gaming centres and family entertainment centres.
We will also issue permits for gaming machines in members' clubs and licensed premises, gaming in members' clubs, prize gaming and unlicensed family entertainment centres. We will also approve temporary use notices and issue provisional statements (provisional statements are a kind of licence issued before a building is built or altered for the purpose of gambling.)


Further Information
Further information is available from the Licensing Team and can also be found on Gambling Commission and the DCMS websites.


Apply for a Licence

Applications for each of the licences can be made on line on the Council’s website
Fees
The fee structure is set by the government and we work within this. A fee must be paid at the time an application is made. The fee covers the cost of administration, inspection and enforcement activity.
Statement of Licensing policy
The Act requires each licensing authority to produce a Statement of Licensing Policy. To view details of the document and download click the highlighted link.
Public Register

The public register of existing licences/consents/permits/registrations can be viewed on the Council’s website


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Page last updated on: 28/01/2013