Gambling premises licences

The Gambling Commission issued code of practice under section 24 of the Gambling Act 2005, about the manner in which facilities for gambling are provided to ensure that:

• gambling is conducted in a fair and open way
• children and other vulnerable people are protected from being harmed or exploited by gambling
• assistance is made available to people who are, or may be, affected by problems related to gambling.

Operators are required to prepare a risk assessment for their business which takes into account the nature and characteristics of the locality in which they are situated. For example the proximity of schools, churches, etc. and/or whether the business is located on a walking route for local schools. Such risk assessments can make reference to the council’s local area profile which may be compiled with respect to reported gambling-related problems in an area.

The local area profiles cover the geographic area of Cheltenham Borough Council and has been created with a view to increasing awareness of local risks, improving information sharing and to facilitate constructive engagement with licensees and a more coordinated response to local risks.
 
The local area profile will also help to inform specific risks that operators need to address in their own risk assessments, which will form part of any new licence application, or an application to vary a licence. Each locality has its own challenges and in order to assist applicants the locality profile maps contains the location of existing gambling premises, educational establishments, health services, deprivation and crime rates. Applicants are further encouraged to conduct research of the local area to identify centres dealing with vulnerable persons.

Resources around deprivation can be found on the Inform Gloucestershire website.

An interactive report at county, district and ward levels, comparing crime trends from 2007/08 to 2017/18 is also available on the Inform Gloucestershire website.
 
The local area profile does not form part of any of the licensing authorities ‘Statement of Principles’ under the Gambling Act 2005, but is referred to in them. The local area profile will be regularly reviewed and refreshed in consultation with the responsible authorities identified in the Gambling Act 2005 and other relevant organisations.