As Casino Guardian has already reported, operating licences are required from gambling operators in order for the latter to be allowed to run its operations on the territory of the country.
Currently, the UK Gambling Commission is the country’s regulatory body which is entitled with the responsibility to issue the operating licences. There are three types of licences that are currently issued by the UK competent regulatory authority, which are available for all gaming activities in the country.
Here are the operating licences issued by the UK Gambling Commission in terms of Betting operations in the country.
Betting
Betting is the activity of predicting the result of a certain event and placing a wager on the probably outcome. There is a variety of betting operating licences currently issues for operators in the UK.
Non-Remote General Betting Operating Licence
There are two type of Non-Remote General Betting operating licence – a standard one and a limited one.
The standard one allows betting operators to run betting outlets based in premises that are agreed with the operator’s local licensing authority as well as betting hubs on racing tracks/courses. Business owners who hold such a licence are also allowed to have up to four gaming machines of category B2 or lower, except for ones of category B3A.
In case that remote platforms are to be used by the licence holder, the latter are required to hold a Remote General Betting Licence.
- Supplementary Standard Remote Operating Licence
Such type of operating licence is required only in case that the holder of the Non-Remote General Betting operating licence, both standard or limited, intends to offer its services fr telephone or e-mail betting. In order to apply for such a licence, operators are required to report an annual gross gambling yield generated from bets of less than £500,000 and the gross gambling yield generated from bets made under the supplementary licence is smaller than the one generated by the bets made under the non-remote operating licence.
The application and annual fees are both dependent on the number of betting outlets owned by the operator.
When it comes to the limited Non-Remote General Betting licence, it provides its owner with the chance to provide sports betting facilities on tracks and courses in the country. Such licence holders are also required to have public liability insurance and valid Horserace Betting Levy Board certificate.
Once again, the fees charged for licence application on an annual basis depend on the number of betting shops operated by the company.
Non-Remote Betting Intermediary Operating Licence
This type of operating licence allows operators to bring a number of betting parties together in order to give them the chance to bet against each other. There are remote and non-remote betting intermediaries, and to get an operating for the certain type of intermediary operators would nee to prove that they have the necessary gambling facilities.
The amount of the application and annual fees vary depending on the gross gambling yield generated by the operator.
- Racecourse Hospitality Boxes
Various gambling facilities could be offered in the racecourse hospitality boxes. The availability of the box as a trading room must be advertised in order for an operating licence to be required.
- Hotels
If hotel rooms are being used as in-running trading premises by individuals, the primary commercial interest of the hotel is taken into account. In this sense, if a hotel is located away from a racecourse, it would be required to prove the interrelation between its primary business intention and racing.
- Internet Cafés
In case that the major operations at the Internet café are not directly associated with gambling activities, no operating licence will be necessary. However, if live horseracing pictures are being showed at the premise, a licence is to be required.
Non-Remote Pool Betting Operating Licence
This type of operating licence provides operators with the chance to run a pool betting business, which normally includes horseracing, football and other sports, as well as fantasy sports competitions.
The exclusive licence for non-remote pool betting operations related to horse racing in the country is currently held by Betfred until the middle of 2018.
A track premises licence issued from a local licensing authority plus a pool betting licence will provide the operator with the chance to hold no more than four gaming machines of category B2 or lower, except for B3A. A separate betting premises licence is needed for offering gaming machines at a track.
The application and annual fees, as always, depend on the gross gambling yield generated by the operator.
- Supplementary Non-Remote Pool Betting Operating Licence
A supplementary licence to the operator’s non-remote pool betting licence could be needed by a company that is aimed at offering betting facilities such as betting machines or bet receipt terminals in licences betting premises.
Remote General Betting
There are two type of Remote General Betting operating licence – a standard one and a limited one.
The Standard licence is required in case that the operator provides its customers with online gambling facilities or if any part of its remote gambling equipment is located on the territory of the UK. Generally, there is a remote operating licence available for each type of gambling activity available in the country.
Currently there are three types of standard remote general betting operating licences:
- Operating Licence for Real Events
This type of licence is especially designed for operators that provide online gambling activities to local customers, which allow the latter to bet on real events over the Internet or by using other means of remote communication.
The application fee depends on the gross gambling yield generate by the operator.
- Operating Licence for Virtual Events
This type of licence is required from operators that provide online gambling activities to local customers, allowing them to bet on virtuall games, races or events over the Internet or by using other means of remote communication.
The application fee will depend on the gross gambling yield generate by the operator.
- Operating Licence for Operating Platform
Operators will need this type of licence in case that they intend to use online platforms as part of running betting outlets, as part of running an on-course bookmaking business or as part of a telephone betting business.
There is no application fee for this type of licence. The amount of the annual fee, however, will depend on gross gambling yield generated by the operator.
The Limited licence is required from operators in case they provide their customers with gambling facilities over the Internet or by using other means of remote communication. Such a licence is also needed if any part of the operator’s remote gambling equipment is located in the UK. The Limited licence also gives its holder the chance to offer its customers betting facilities only over the phone or by e-mail.
The application and annual fees’ amounts are based on the generated gross gambling yield.
Remote Betting Intermediary
The Remote Betting Intermediary operating licence is issued by the UK Gambling Commission to all operators that provide web-based and remote gambling facilities for local customers and to the ones that keep any part of their gambling equipment in the country, regardless of the fact which country they are based in.
This type of operating licence allows operators to bring several betting parties together on the Internet. In addition, betting intermediaries can be remote or non-remote, so the requirement for them to hold an operating licence depends on whether or not their gambling facilities are provided in correspondence to the Gambling Act 2005 Section 5.
As in the rest of the cases so far, the application and annual fees depend on the operators’ gross gambling yield.
Currently, a special type of Remote Betting Intermediary operating licence is issued by the UKGC to trading rooms. This type of licence allows operators to run a trading room from a certain premise which is licensed by a local licensing authority. Trading rooms, on the other hand, are premises in which customers are allowed to bet with a third party over the Internet or by using other remote communication methods.
Remote Pool Betting
What is specific about pool betting is the fact that players’ winnings are calculated by dividing the total pool by the overall number of winners. Pool betting includes various sports categories, including football, horseracing, other sports, as well as fantasy football-type competitions.
No matter where the operator is based, it is required such a licence issued by the UKGC in case the company provides online gambling facilities to UK customers or in case that any part of the company’s remote gambling equipment is based in the country.
This type of licence provides operators with the chance to run online pool betting business. They can also use any type of remote communication means to do that. The exclusive licence to offer pool betting related to the UK horseracing industry is held by Betfred until the middle of 2018.
Both application and annual fees apply. Their amount depends on the gross gambling yield generated by each operator.
- Author
Daniel Williams
