Personal Gambling License Uk

1. Personal Gambling License Uk Application
2. Personal Gambling Licence Uk
3. Mn Gambling License
4. Gambling License Pa
5. Gambling License Application
6. Gambling License Iowa
7. Online Gambling Licenses Cost

What is a Gambling Licence This is a licence that all gambling providers who are based in or operate in the UK are required to have. This came in to force under the Gambling Act of 2005 and stipulates that anyone wishing to commercially advertise to or transact with customers for the purposes of gambling must carry a licence. For remote operators, an application is made to the UK Gambling Commission for a remote operating licence to authorise the provision of the proposed gambling activity. Operating licences may cover a single activity, such as pool betting, or multiple remote activities, such as betting, bingo, casino or lotteries.

In the UK it is a criminal offence to commercially take bets or offer a betting exchange service if you do not have a Gambling Commission (GC) license.

In this article we list bookmakers license numbers from our own recommanded bookies, we explain why gambling licences are needed in the first place, what they mean for operators, how bookmakers get hold of these licences and what happened if they contravene the conditions of the commission. We also discuss gambling law, including the latest Gambling Act 2014 and what this means for both the betting industry and the punter.

Gambling law in the United Kingdom provides some of the most stringent legislation and protections in the world. Gambling licences are in place to protect not only punters from unlicensed operators but also to protect bookmakers and betting operators.

• Gambling Law:

Gambling License Details For Major UK Bookmakers

Is Gambling Online Legal in the UK?

The simple answer is yes but only under licence. It may surprise many that up until 2005 the industry was unregulated online and until 2014 operators based outside the UK didn't have to have a UK licence. If you gamble with an agent that does not possess a licence they are operating illegally and you risk losing your funds.

Clicking on the licence numbers in the table above and this will take you to that operator's specific gambling commission issued licence. You can also search for licences of operators not in the table. Never gamble with a betting website from within the UK that doesn't have a licence, if you do your funds will have no protection under the law.

What is a Gambling Licence

This is a licence that all gambling providers who are based in or operate in the UK are required to have. This came in to force under the Gambling Act of 2005 and stipulates that anyone wishing to commercially advertise to or transact with customers for the purposes of gambling must carry a licence.

To apply for a licence companies are required to demonstrate they have several protections in place for the prevention of crime and protection of customers.

The Gambling Commission was set up to issue and administer licences. You can check if an operator has a licence by visiting their site. Operators must also display their licence details properly on their website or premises. You will either see a reference for the licence or the full licence number, either can be searched on the commission's website. In the table at the top of this page we list all the licence numbers for bookmakers reviewed on our site. Clicking the number will take you to their individual licence.

Often licences are held by holding companies that then operate several branded gambling entities. Each bookmaker listed on this site have a full UK gambling licence, details of which can be found in the table or in our betting site reviews.

It is quite amazing in a way to think that internet gambling went unregulated until 2005 and in many countries it still is. This is why betting in the UK betting and gaming industry is now one of the safest in the world.

Who Are The Gambling Commission

The Gambling Commission was originally set up in 2005 under the previous gambling Act. The body is an independent non-departmental public body that receives funding and support from the UK governments department for culture, media and sport. The commission acts as regulator for all commercial gambling operators including bingo, bookmakers, casinos, gaming arcades, etc. The commission is also responsible for regulating lotteries in the UK including the National Lottery since taking over the responsibilities of the National Lottery Commission in 2013.

The commission employ over 250 people, are based in Birmingham and are largely funded by licence fees paid by bookmakers and other operators. The gambling commission do not cover spread betting and other forms of index betting, this falls under the jurisdiction of the financial conduct authority (FCA).

For more about the UK Gambling Commission read our dedicated guide.

What Do the Gambling Commission Do?

The GC have some principal objectives:

• Crime Prevention – This is both in terms of preventing illegal bookmaking (protecting the punter) and betting fraud from punters (protecting the bookie).
• Promote and Open Industry – This includes promoting honesty about betting operations and gambling including responsible gambling. For example offers, terms and bonuses need to clear and transparent without conflicting or false language.
• Protect Venerable People – Possibly the most important aim of the commission ensure children under the age of 18 and vulnerable people are prevented from gambling. This includes age and identity checking and monitoring. See responsible gambling.

What Don't the Gambling Commission Do?

The commission is there is ensure a safe and responsible industry they will not:

• Mediate Customer Complaints – Operators must have their own systems in place to properly handle complaints. If you want to escalate a complaint you can use the Independent Betting Adjudication Service (IBAS) service. Read our complaints article for more.
• Legal Advice – They will not give advice but they will give general information pertaining to the Gambling Act or any relevant legislation.
• Check Every Gambling Website – Whilst it is the law that operators need to possess a licence to operate in the UK it is up to you to check there is a licence in place before you gamble.

How Do The Gambling Commission Regulate?

The commission is limited in its scope and resources so they will always attempt to mediate disputes and will only take legal action in cases that present the greatest risks to the licensing objectives.

If operators fail to comply with the Licence conditions and codes of practice (LCCP) then the commission will step in. If you feel you know of an operator who are not meeting the LCCP you can report them anonymously to the commission.

In rare events where illegal activity is serious enough the GC has the power to revoke licences and issue legal action against operators. All major legal action and information is published on their website.

In general the GC are seen as a body that are trying to work with bookmakers and other gambling agents to ensure a safe industry rather than being an enforcement agency.

Gambling Law and Legislation in the UK

There are specific laws on all aspects of commercial gambling from prizes and games run in public houses to gaming machines, remote operators and fees and duty charges.

For a full list of all gambling legislation see the commissions own gambling related legislation page.

Gambling Act 2005

The act of 2005 was brought in to give the UK government greater means of regulating a diverse gambling industry. This was the first major piece of legislation since the Betting and Gaming Act 1960. In fact it legislated the creation of the Gambling Commission itself as an independent body to enforce and regulate the contents of the Act.

The country had reached a point where gaming needed renewed legislation with the new millennium seeing a glut of new ways to gamble from fixed odds terminals in shops, new lottery games and more advanced gaming arcades. The act was also brought in to also regulate online betting for the first time.

Basically the 2005 gambling act is designed to enforce the principal objectives of the gambling commission described above with specific legislation such as fee limits, payout limits etc., for individual aspects (such as how much a fruit machine in a pub can pay out).

Gambling Bill 2014

The 2014 Gambling (Licencing and Advertising) Bill is effectively an add-on to the 2005 legislation. This is more encompassing and more focused towards online and remote betting to ensure all gambling companies that operate in the UK fall under the law and the GC, wherever they are actually bases. This makes it easier to define what gambling is and whether a company and its advertisers are permitted to operate in Great Britain.

One important aspect of the 2014 act is to ensure that off shore operators are also required to have a UK gambling licence to advertise in the UK. As most online bookmakers are based in the likes of Gibraltar or Malta this was a critical piece of legislation. It also entitled the government to a 15% tax on gross profits earned in the UK.

History of UK Gambling Law

Personal Gambling License Uk Application

Gambling and betting through history has courted much attention. It has been banned or restricted several times by various monarchs and the republican Oliver Cromwell, who banned most sports and betting with his puritan ways. In 1541 the Unlawful Games Act was enacted by the parliament of England and was designed to restrict several new games. The idea at the time was new games and sports were causing the death of archery as young adolescents became distracted by newer ventures.

The 1541 act didn't necessarily restrict gambling directly but did so by proxy in banning the sports and games occurring in the first place. It took however until 1845 for the British establishment to issue binding legislation on gambling in the Gaming Act of 1845.

The gaming act was actually designed to discourage betting. It made a bet unenforceable as a contract under law and therefore an illegal action. Basically meaning if you bet it is illegal under law and you do so at your own risk meaning someone could walk off with your cash. This wasn't actually rescinded until 2001 and needless to say it didn't really stop people gambling.

The 1892 Gaming Act created an exception for the Totalisator (tote) board. This allowed on track betting at race courses in Great Britain but betting and gambling off course was still illegal up until 1960 (with the exception of the football pools) The 1960 Act saw the final repeal of the 1845 gaming act.

Up until 1960 it was however legal to place bets by post or over the telephone. Many bookmakers got around this by employing 'runners' that would take bets from a public phone to the bookmaker. Mr William Hill is a famous early bookie who did what he could to circumvent these laws.

The Betting and Gaming Act of 1960 famously removed the restriction on offsite betting and led to the opening of the first betting shops in 1961. Many cite this as the beginning of the end for greyhound racing and some smaller horse racing meetings in particular.

This worked well enough until the end of the 20th Century, however new forms of betting such as gaming machines and critically the internet meant that new legislation was needed. This was seen in the form of the 2005 Act and 2014 Bill.

Customer Complaints & Protection

The objectives of the the UK government, the gambling commission and bookmakers is to generally protect customers by creating a safe, fair and open environment. The gambling commission will not however mediate individual customer complaints over disputed funds.

You can however report gambling operators (either online or physical) if you think they are contravening the gambling code and putting people at risk. If you think you have been mislead by advertising you are better off contacting the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA).

For information on IBAS, the body that mediates disputes between bookmakers and customers, read our IBAS page or for more general dispute advice read our how to make a complaint to a bookmaker article.

Responsible Gambling

A core objective of the GC is to ensure all operators actively promote responsible gambling. See our article for all features and information relating to responsible gambling.

On this page:-

Aim of this information

This information is designed to set out how a criminal record can impact on getting a Personal Gambling Licence (known as a Personal Functional Licence).

Personal Gambling Licence Uk

Why is this important?

Having a criminal record is not a bar to being issued with a Personal Functional Licence. However, it is important that you know what cautions or convictions you need to disclose and how they will be dealt with.

Mn Gambling License

Introduction

The Gambling Commission state that:

'any individual who performs any function which enables them to influence the outcome of gambling or relates to the receiving or paying of money in connection with gambling will require a Personal Functional Licence.'

Details of other types of gambling licence can be found on the Gambling Commission website.

Licence applications

When considering the suitability of an applicant, the Gambling Commission will take account of some of the following in deciding whether or not to issue a Licence:-

• Identity and ownership – Verification of your identity and any other person relevant to the application will be required by way of copies of your driving licence, passport and NI number.
• Finances – Depending on the type of application you are making, you may be required to submit financial documents.
• Integrity – Your honesty and trustworthiness will be assessed
• Competence – You will need to provide details of your experience, expertise, qualifications and employment history.
• Criminality – You will be asked to provide details of your criminal record

Guidance on completing the online Personal Functional Licence application can be found here.

What information about my criminal record do I need to disclose?

Personal Functional Licences (PFL) are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act. See here for further guidance.

The question about criminal records on the PFL application form is as follows:-

‘Please provide details of any criminal legal action which has been taken against you.

Gambling License Pa

All current (i.e. unspent) convictions must be declared. In the case of convictions for relevant offences, previous (i.e. spent) convictions must also be declared'.

Details of relevant offences can be found here. Common offences defined as ‘relevant' include theft, burglary and handling stolen goods.

It should be noted that the Gambling Commission will carry out Disclosure and Barring Service checks which will show all cautions and convictions unless they are eligible for filtering and for this reason, you may want to consider disclosing all cautions and convictions which would be declared on your DBS certificate.

How are criminal convictions dealt with?

The Gambling Commission state that they will not automatically refuse your licence application if you have a criminal record. In assessing your application they will take the following into account:-

• how serious the offence was
• how relevant it is to the role
• how long ago it was committed

They do say however:

‘We take a serious view when applicants do not state previous convictions on the application form and will always contact the applicant to ask why this was not declared. We check details of cautions, reprimands and spent convictions as well as current convictions'.

Have you been granted a licence with a criminal record?

We're looking for examples of where people with convictions have been granted a licence with a criminal record so that we can include details here to help give people confidence to apply.

The commission employ over 250 people, are based in Birmingham and are largely funded by licence fees paid by bookmakers and other operators. The gambling commission do not cover spread betting and other forms of index betting, this falls under the jurisdiction of the financial conduct authority (FCA).

For more about the UK Gambling Commission read our dedicated guide.

What Do the Gambling Commission Do?

The GC have some principal objectives:

• Crime Prevention – This is both in terms of preventing illegal bookmaking (protecting the punter) and betting fraud from punters (protecting the bookie).
• Promote and Open Industry – This includes promoting honesty about betting operations and gambling including responsible gambling. For example offers, terms and bonuses need to clear and transparent without conflicting or false language.
• Protect Venerable People – Possibly the most important aim of the commission ensure children under the age of 18 and vulnerable people are prevented from gambling. This includes age and identity checking and monitoring. See responsible gambling.

What Don't the Gambling Commission Do?

The commission is there is ensure a safe and responsible industry they will not:

• Mediate Customer Complaints – Operators must have their own systems in place to properly handle complaints. If you want to escalate a complaint you can use the Independent Betting Adjudication Service (IBAS) service. Read our complaints article for more.
• Legal Advice – They will not give advice but they will give general information pertaining to the Gambling Act or any relevant legislation.
• Check Every Gambling Website – Whilst it is the law that operators need to possess a licence to operate in the UK it is up to you to check there is a licence in place before you gamble.

How Do The Gambling Commission Regulate?

The commission is limited in its scope and resources so they will always attempt to mediate disputes and will only take legal action in cases that present the greatest risks to the licensing objectives.

If operators fail to comply with the Licence conditions and codes of practice (LCCP) then the commission will step in. If you feel you know of an operator who are not meeting the LCCP you can report them anonymously to the commission.

In rare events where illegal activity is serious enough the GC has the power to revoke licences and issue legal action against operators. All major legal action and information is published on their website.

In general the GC are seen as a body that are trying to work with bookmakers and other gambling agents to ensure a safe industry rather than being an enforcement agency.

Gambling Law and Legislation in the UK

There are specific laws on all aspects of commercial gambling from prizes and games run in public houses to gaming machines, remote operators and fees and duty charges.

For a full list of all gambling legislation see the commissions own gambling related legislation page.

Gambling Act 2005

The act of 2005 was brought in to give the UK government greater means of regulating a diverse gambling industry. This was the first major piece of legislation since the Betting and Gaming Act 1960. In fact it legislated the creation of the Gambling Commission itself as an independent body to enforce and regulate the contents of the Act.

The country had reached a point where gaming needed renewed legislation with the new millennium seeing a glut of new ways to gamble from fixed odds terminals in shops, new lottery games and more advanced gaming arcades. The act was also brought in to also regulate online betting for the first time.

Basically the 2005 gambling act is designed to enforce the principal objectives of the gambling commission described above with specific legislation such as fee limits, payout limits etc., for individual aspects (such as how much a fruit machine in a pub can pay out).

Gambling Bill 2014

The 2014 Gambling (Licencing and Advertising) Bill is effectively an add-on to the 2005 legislation. This is more encompassing and more focused towards online and remote betting to ensure all gambling companies that operate in the UK fall under the law and the GC, wherever they are actually bases. This makes it easier to define what gambling is and whether a company and its advertisers are permitted to operate in Great Britain.

One important aspect of the 2014 act is to ensure that off shore operators are also required to have a UK gambling licence to advertise in the UK. As most online bookmakers are based in the likes of Gibraltar or Malta this was a critical piece of legislation. It also entitled the government to a 15% tax on gross profits earned in the UK.

History of UK Gambling Law

Personal Gambling License Uk Application

Gambling and betting through history has courted much attention. It has been banned or restricted several times by various monarchs and the republican Oliver Cromwell, who banned most sports and betting with his puritan ways. In 1541 the Unlawful Games Act was enacted by the parliament of England and was designed to restrict several new games. The idea at the time was new games and sports were causing the death of archery as young adolescents became distracted by newer ventures.

The 1541 act didn't necessarily restrict gambling directly but did so by proxy in banning the sports and games occurring in the first place. It took however until 1845 for the British establishment to issue binding legislation on gambling in the Gaming Act of 1845.

The gaming act was actually designed to discourage betting. It made a bet unenforceable as a contract under law and therefore an illegal action. Basically meaning if you bet it is illegal under law and you do so at your own risk meaning someone could walk off with your cash. This wasn't actually rescinded until 2001 and needless to say it didn't really stop people gambling.

The 1892 Gaming Act created an exception for the Totalisator (tote) board. This allowed on track betting at race courses in Great Britain but betting and gambling off course was still illegal up until 1960 (with the exception of the football pools) The 1960 Act saw the final repeal of the 1845 gaming act.

Up until 1960 it was however legal to place bets by post or over the telephone. Many bookmakers got around this by employing 'runners' that would take bets from a public phone to the bookmaker. Mr William Hill is a famous early bookie who did what he could to circumvent these laws.

The Betting and Gaming Act of 1960 famously removed the restriction on offsite betting and led to the opening of the first betting shops in 1961. Many cite this as the beginning of the end for greyhound racing and some smaller horse racing meetings in particular.

This worked well enough until the end of the 20th Century, however new forms of betting such as gaming machines and critically the internet meant that new legislation was needed. This was seen in the form of the 2005 Act and 2014 Bill.

Customer Complaints & Protection

The objectives of the the UK government, the gambling commission and bookmakers is to generally protect customers by creating a safe, fair and open environment. The gambling commission will not however mediate individual customer complaints over disputed funds.

You can however report gambling operators (either online or physical) if you think they are contravening the gambling code and putting people at risk. If you think you have been mislead by advertising you are better off contacting the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA).

For information on IBAS, the body that mediates disputes between bookmakers and customers, read our IBAS page or for more general dispute advice read our how to make a complaint to a bookmaker article.

Responsible Gambling

A core objective of the GC is to ensure all operators actively promote responsible gambling. See our article for all features and information relating to responsible gambling.

On this page:-

Aim of this information

This information is designed to set out how a criminal record can impact on getting a Personal Gambling Licence (known as a Personal Functional Licence).

Personal Gambling Licence Uk

Why is this important?

Having a criminal record is not a bar to being issued with a Personal Functional Licence. However, it is important that you know what cautions or convictions you need to disclose and how they will be dealt with.

Mn Gambling License

Introduction

The Gambling Commission state that:

'any individual who performs any function which enables them to influence the outcome of gambling or relates to the receiving or paying of money in connection with gambling will require a Personal Functional Licence.'

Details of other types of gambling licence can be found on the Gambling Commission website.

Licence applications

When considering the suitability of an applicant, the Gambling Commission will take account of some of the following in deciding whether or not to issue a Licence:-

• Identity and ownership – Verification of your identity and any other person relevant to the application will be required by way of copies of your driving licence, passport and NI number.
• Finances – Depending on the type of application you are making, you may be required to submit financial documents.
• Integrity – Your honesty and trustworthiness will be assessed
• Competence – You will need to provide details of your experience, expertise, qualifications and employment history.
• Criminality – You will be asked to provide details of your criminal record

Guidance on completing the online Personal Functional Licence application can be found here.

What information about my criminal record do I need to disclose?

Personal Functional Licences (PFL) are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act. See here for further guidance.

The question about criminal records on the PFL application form is as follows:-

‘Please provide details of any criminal legal action which has been taken against you.

Gambling License Pa

All current (i.e. unspent) convictions must be declared. In the case of convictions for relevant offences, previous (i.e. spent) convictions must also be declared'.

Details of relevant offences can be found here. Common offences defined as ‘relevant' include theft, burglary and handling stolen goods.

It should be noted that the Gambling Commission will carry out Disclosure and Barring Service checks which will show all cautions and convictions unless they are eligible for filtering and for this reason, you may want to consider disclosing all cautions and convictions which would be declared on your DBS certificate.

How are criminal convictions dealt with?

The Gambling Commission state that they will not automatically refuse your licence application if you have a criminal record. In assessing your application they will take the following into account:-

• how serious the offence was
• how relevant it is to the role
• how long ago it was committed

They do say however:

‘We take a serious view when applicants do not state previous convictions on the application form and will always contact the applicant to ask why this was not declared. We check details of cautions, reprimands and spent convictions as well as current convictions'.

Have you been granted a licence with a criminal record?

We're looking for examples of where people with convictions have been granted a licence with a criminal record so that we can include details here to help give people confidence to apply.

Gambling License Application

If you've been granted a licence with a criminal record, please email us or get in touch to let us know the details – your personal details will be kept confidential and anonymous.

For more information

Gambling License Iowa

1. Practical self-help information – More information on standard DBS checks can be found here.
2. To discuss this issue with others – Read and share your experiences on our online forum

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Online Gambling Licenses Cost

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