Plans Guidance Note – Application for a Gambling Premises Licence

Introduction

This fact sheet has been prepared by Poppleston Allen Licensing Solicitors. It represents our comments on the preparation of plans but is not to be considered in any way formal legal advice. It is your responsibility, or that of your surveyors, to ensure that plans comply with the relevant legislation and any Licensing Authority requirements.

This fact sheet applies to the grant of a Gambling Premises Licence under the Gambling Act 2005.

What the regulations say

An application for a premises licence, shall be accompanied by a plan of the premises.

What the plan must show

• The extent of the boundary or perimeter of the premises;
• where the premises include, or consist of, one or more buildings, the location of any external or internal walls of each such building;
• where the premises form part of a building, the location of any external or internal walls of the building which are included in the premises;
• where the premises are a vessel or a part of a vessel, the location of any part of the sides of the vessel, and of any internal walls of the vessel, which are included in the premises;
• the location of each point of entry to and exit from the premises, including in each case a description of the place from which entry is made or to which the exit leads.

In addition there are further specific plan requirements for each type of premises licences:-

All casino premises licences*, the plan must show:-

• the principal entrance to the premises;
• the location and extent of any part of the premises which will be a table gaming area;
• the location and extent of any other part of the premises which will be used for providing facilities for gambling in reliance on the licence; and
• the location and extent of any part of the premises which will be a non-gambling area*.

Large Casino plans/layout requirements

• The premises shall contain a table gaming area, the floor area of which
  is no less than 1000m².
• The premises shall contain a non-gambling area which comprises no
  less than 500m².

Small Casino plans/layout requirements

• The premises shall contain a table gaming area, the floor area of which is no less than 500m².
• The premises shall contain a non-gambling area which comprises no less than 250m².

Converted Casino (1968 Act) plans/layout requirements

• Premises which have a gambling floor area, which is no less than 200m², shall contain a non-gambling area, the floor area of which is no less than 10% of the floor area of the gambling area.

* Casino premises have strict requirements regarding gaming and non-gaming areas and the types of activity permitted. Full details should be reviewed when plans are prepared.

Bingo premises licence but only those bingo premises to which children or young persons will be permitted to have access, then the plan must show:-

• the location and extent of any part of the premises which will be used to provide facilities for bingo and gaming (other than those parts which include Category B or C gaming machines);
• the location and extent of any part of the premises in which Category B or C gaming machines will be made available;
• the nature and location of any barrier or other thing separating any part of the premises in which Category B or C gaming machines will be made available for use from any other part of the premises.

Adult gaming centre premises licence, the plan must show the location and extent of any part of the premises in which gaming machines will be made available.

Family entertainment centre premises licence, the plan must show:-

• the location and extent of any part of the premises in which Category C gaming machines will be made available;
• the location and extent of any part of the premises in which Category D gaming machines will be made available;
• the nature and location of any barrier or other thing separating any part of the premises in which Category C gaming machines will be made available for use from any other part of the premises.

Betting premises licence the plan must show the location and extent of any part of the premises which will be used to provide facilities for gambling.

Betting premises licence in respect of a track, the plan must show:-

• the location and extent of any other parts of the premises which will be used for providing facilities for betting;
• the location and extent of any part of the premises in which Category B or C gaming machines will be made available for use (only if operator holds a pool betting operating licence);
• the nature and location of any barrier or other thing separating any part of the premises in which Category B or C gaming machines will be made available for use from any other part of the premises (only if operator holds a pool betting operating licence).

Notes

The plan, when finally approved, will form part of the licence and accordingly it is important to include upon it only the items referred to in the Regulation. The inclusion of extra, albeit helpful information could result in applications for variation being needed if those extra details are changed at any time.

We suggest you include the following legend – “anything shown on this plan which is not required by The Gambling Act 2005 (Premises Licences and Provisional Statements) Regulations 2009 is for illustrative purposes only, and does not form part of the premises licence”.

Scale

There is no scale set for the plans however they should be drawn to scale.

Printable PDF

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Guidance note on gambling licence plans