Advice for residents and local businesses

We are responsible for licensing all premises within the borough which provide facilities for gambling, including bingo halls, betting shops, amusement arcades, and pubs and bars with gaming machines. We also register local charities and societies running small lotteries.

Local residents and businesses (also known as 'interested parties') have been given powers under the gambling legislation, allowing them to make representations and request reviews of Premises Licences. We will also investigate complaints relating to gambling and facilities for gambling.

In order to qualify as an interested party, an individual must:

• live sufficiently close to the premises to be likely to be affected by activities at the premises;
• have business interests that might be affected or
• represent persons in either of the above groups.

When exercising its functions in relation to gambling licences, the authority must act:

• in accordance with any relevant guidance or codes of practice issued by the Gambling Commission
• in accordance with our Statement of Principles and
• in a manner that is reasonably consistent with the licensing objectives.

The licensing objectives are set out in the legislation, and form the backbone of the regulation of gambling in the UK. Representations and review applications will usually be expected to relate to at least one of the objectives to be regarded as valid. The objectives are:

• Preventing gambling from becoming a source of crime and disorder, being associated with crime or disorder or being used to support crime.
• Ensuring that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way.
• Protecting children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling.

Complaints about gambling premises

We will investigate allegations of unlawful gambling or provision of gambling facilities within premises in the Lambeth area. This may include premises that are not authorised to provide any form of gambling facilities, or premises that are operating in breach of their licences or permits.

Complaints may be made:

• By email - licensing@lambeth.gov.uk
• By letter - Licensing Section, 5th floor, Blue Star House, 234-244 Stockwell Road, London, SW9 9SP
• In person - between 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday, at our reception on the 3rd floor of Blue Star House
• By telephone - 020 7926 6108
• By fax - 020 7926 6150

There are some matters which we are not able to investigate:

• Issues relating to crime and anti-social behaviour should be reported to the Metropolitan Police, or to your local Safer Neighbourhoods Team.
• Issues relating to public safety, or public nuisance (e.g. noise) cannot be dealt with under the Gambling Act 2005, and should be reported to either the London Fire Brigade, or our Health & Safety or Noise/Pollution sections, as appropriate.
• Issues relating to the suitability of a person to operate gambling facilities should be reported to the Gambling Commission. Every operator of commercial gambling premises is licensed by the Commission, and must satisfy them that they are a suitable person to hold such a licence. The Commission are also responsible for overseeing all forms of 'remote gambling', such as telephone betting or online casinos.
• We cannot consider any issues relating to the demand for gambling facilities; for example, a perceived proliferation of betting shops in a particular area.
• Licensing authorities have been advised that they may not become involved in any moral issues relating to gambling. We are only able to exercise our powers if there is reason to believe that the licensing objectives are not being, or are unlikely to be, met.

Representations

Premises which provide gambling facilities as their primary use (such as bingo halls, betting shops or amusement arcades) are required to hold Premises Licences issued by the local authority. When these premises first apply for a licence (or if they subsequently apply to vary their licence, or if the licence is reviewed), local residents and businesses may comment by making representations, supporting or opposing the application.

Applicants for Premises Licences are legally required to advertise their application in two ways:

• They will display a statutory notice at or near the premises, which is visible from the outside. This notice will usually be printed on A4 paper, and will give details about the applicant, the type of licence applied for and the deadline for representations. The notice must remain in place for a period of 28 days.
• They will also advertise in the public notices section of a local newspaper, giving the same details as outlined above. This advert must appear within 10 working days of the application being made.

Details of pending applications will also be displayed on our website.

Responsible authorities (including the Police, HM Customs and the Gambling Commission) will also be notified of applications for Premises Licences and given the opportunity to comment.

Interested parties may make representations in respect of an application, in writing, by the date listed on the statutory notice (which will usually be 28 days after the application was made). Late representations, or representations which are vexatious, frivolous or irrelevant, will be disregarded. Representations can be submitted in the following ways:

• By email - licensing@lambeth.gov.uk
• By letter - Licensing Section, 5th floor, Blue Star House, 234-244 Stockwell Road, London, SW9 9SP
• By fax - 020 7926 6150

As we must ascertain whether a person making a representation qualifies as an interested party, we must ask that you give your name and full address in your representation. We are not able to consider anonymous representations. It should also be noted that applicants will have access to any representations that are made in respect of their application, to allow them the opportunity to respond.

Applications which attract valid representations will be referred to a hearing of the Licensing Sub-Committee. The applicant and anyone who has made a valid representation will be invited to attend the hearing and present their case. The Sub-Committee will then decide whether or not to grant the application, and whether to add conditions to any licence granted.

Reviews

While the regulatory bodies will use their powers to ensure that licensed gambling premises operate in accordance with the provisions of the law and with any conditions attached to their licence(s), there may be occasions when concerns exist over the operation of a gambling premises which cannot be resolved either through mediation or enforcement. In those situations, a responsible authority or an interested party may request that a licence is reviewed.

The grounds upon which a review is requested will usually relate to one or more of the licensing objectives, or to a code of practice, or to our Statement of Principles. Anybody requesting a review will be expected to produce evidence to demonstrate the extent of the problem that forms the grounds for review. It is also worth noting that the review process is intended to be used as a last resort, and that attempts to resolve the problem should have been made through other avenues (e.g. informal approaches and intervention by other Council services such as the Council's Noise Control Service) before a request for a review is submitted.

Reviews can be requested by completing a prescribed application form, giving details of the person(s) requesting the review, and the grounds upon which the review is requested. It will also be necessary to give notice of the review to the licence-holder, and to the responsible authorities - a template notice for this purpose is included with the application form.

If a request for a review is accepted, the licensing authority will advertise the review in the area around the premises to enable other interested parties to make representations. A period of 28 consecutive days will be allowed for this, with representations made in the same way as outlined above.

Applications for review will be determined at a hearing of the Licensing Sub-Committee. The person who requested the review, the licence-holder, and anyone else who has made a valid representation will be invited to attend the hearing and present their case. The Sub-Committee will then decide whether or not to amend the licence, or, as the case may be, suspend or revoke it. All parties will have a right of appeal against any decision made.