Battling Illegal Gaming on Premises – review your policies now

The Gambling Commission recently published data suggesting high levels of under-age people are playing gaming machines in pubs.

It has declared its concern, that of the pubs sampled, only 10% intervened to stop children gambling on their premises.

Helen Rhodes, Programme Director at the Gambling Commission, said:

“We are extremely concerned that pubs across England are failing to stop children playing gaming machines designed for adults. We urgently call on the pub sector to take action immediately to enforce the laws in place to protect children and young people.

We expect to see significant improvement in further tests and will continue to work with licensing authorities to support any action required against those failing to adhere to the requirements.”

In response Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), said that pubs should offer a "safe and friendly environment for families".

"We have ensured that all of our members are aware of both the BBPA's and Gambling Commission's codes of practice and we are already taking steps to develop a social charter for responsible gambling, for use by licensees and pub companies.”

You can see the Gambling commissions letter to the industry here and the commissions code of practice on preventing underage gambling.

As a result, Operators should expect greater testing of their age verification polices and procedures by local licensing authorities. 

Contact our expert teams on 0114 266 8664 or 03300 584 150 for further advice.