CASINO LICENSING
The Gaming Act 1968
Casino licensing changed fundamentally when the Gaming Act 1968 was repealed in 2005. The Gambling Act 2005 limited the number of new casinos in the UK to eight "small" casinos, and eight "large" and one "regional" casino. Before it came into force in 2007, there was something of a scramble to licence new casinos under the 'old' legislation - the Gaming Act 1968. Existing casino operators strenuously objected to every application. Gerald Gouriet was successful in obtaining new casino licences in Great Yarmouth, Birmingham, Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Huddersfield, and London (The Hippodrome).
The Gambling Act 2005
For the 2005 Act casinos, a 'Casino Advisory Panel' was set up to determine the areas in which applications could be made; but not all the areas ultimately recommended by the CAP have been commercially attractive to casino operators. The following are relevant areas (and the subsequent history of casino licensing in them) as at the time of writing:
Casino Uptake
Large casino premises licences:
(a) Great Yarmouth Borough Council: awarded, but not developed;
(b) Kingston upon Hull City Council: only one applicant; awarded but not developed;
(c) Leeds City Council: awarded and still in construction;
(d) Middlesbrough Borough Council: awarded, but not developed;
(e) Milton Keynes Borough Council: awarded, opened at the end of 2013;
(f) Newham London Borough Council, awarded, opened 2011;
(g) Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council: awarded, opened end 2015;
(h) Southampton City Council: no award yet made.
Small casino premises licences:
(a) Bath and North East Somerset District Council: awarded, but not developed;
(b) East Lindsey District Council: no applications for the licence received from operators;
(c) Luton Borough Council: awarded, opened 2015;
(d) Scarborough Borough Council: awarded, but not developed;
(e) Swansea City and County Council: no applications for the licence received from operators;
(f) Torbay Borough Council: no applications for the licence received from operators;
(g) Wigtown Divisional Licensing Board (Dumfries and Galloway Council): no applications for the licence received from operators;
(h) Wolverhampton City Council: no applications for the licence received from operators.
As can be seen, just four of the GA 2005 casinos have opened, with a fifth (Leeds) in construction at the time of writing. It is widely believed that these casinos are within the only commercially viable locations among the 16 available. Because of the current machine-limits on small casinos it is not thought that there will be much interest taken in them by developers until those restrictions are relaxed. The licences that have been awarded but not developed are understood to have been taken by speculators who have not been able to be able to sell them on to commercial operators. Casino licensing in the UK has stagnated.
Cheating & Dishonesty
The Supreme Court has settled the controversy as to whether dishonesty is an integral part of ‘Cheating’ in the Gambling Act 2005. It is not.
For the full decision: Phillip Ivey v Genting Casinos Uk Limited: [2017] UKSC 67
See also comment: Cheating and Dishonesty