Citation 2005 c 19 | Royal assent 7 April 2005 | |
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Long title An Act to make provision about gambling. | ||
The Gambling Act 2005 (2005 c 19) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It mainly applies to England and Wales, and to Scotland, and is designed to control all forms of gambling. It transfers authority for licensing gambling from the magistrates' courts to local authorities (specifically unitary authorities, and the councils of metropolitan borough, non-metropolitan district and London boroughs), or to Scottish licensing boards. The Act also created the Gambling Commission.
The Act gives its objectives as
(a) preventing gambling from being a source of crime or disorder, being associated with crime or disorder or being used to support crime,
(b) ensuring that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way, and
(c) protecting children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling.
Some provisions of the bill faced controversy, particularly in its original form, where it would have allowed eight so-called "super casinos" to be set up. With the Parliamentary session drawing to a close, a compromise was agreed to reduce this to one. Despite a lengthy bidding process, with Manchester being chosen as the single planned location, the development was cancelled soon after Gordon Brown became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The Act also specifically regulates Internet gambling for the first time.
The act is wide-ranging including regulation of lotteries. The "no purchase necessary" clause on on-product promotions and semi-legal competitions went, replaced with the so-called "New Zealand Model" where purchase may be a requirement, if the purchase is at the "normal selling price".
The Act, together with regulations and specifications developed by The Gambling Commission define, and in some cases redefine, categories of gaming machines and where they are allowed to be placed.
From 1 December 2014, the Gambling (Licensing & Advertising) Act 2014 contributed several updates to the Act, including a requirement that all off-shore gambling brands apply for a licence from the Gambling Commission and submit to a 15% point of consumption (POC) tax on gross profits. The Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association is in the process of challenging the 2014 Bill.