Issue - meetings

The Committee gave consideration to a report of the Trading Standards and Licensing Manager which update Members on the recent review of the Council’s Gambling Policy and sought their views on the suggested amendments required prior to seeking Council approval.

The Committee was reminded that the current policy was adopted in January 2019 and had to be reviewed every 3 years by law. In the attached proposed policy at appendix 1 of the report, the ten Greater Manchester Authorities had worked collaboratively to develop a common policy framework and content. Local issues and profiling had been added in addition to the common policy text.

Members noted the content of the policy centred around the regulatory responsibilities of both operators and the Council in how it administered the gambling system. This included:

·         General principles of the Gambling Act 2005

·         Determining licences

·         Relevant factors to consider

·         Specific considerations for business types

·         Permits and permissions

The Gambling Act defined which statutory bodies were to be consulted on a new premises application and these were:

·         Gambling Commission

·         Greater Manchester Police

·         GM Fire & Rescue

·         Planning Authority

·         Environmental Health

·         Safeguarding Partnership

·         HMRC

·         The Licensing Authority

Significant attention had been paid to the public health concerns surrounding gambling additions in the revised policy. Data suggested that in Oldham there were around three thousand problem gamblers and nine thousand at risk gamblers. A Greater Manchester Gambling Harm Reduction Strategy had been compiled with funding allocated to support pathways and research.

The proposed policy also asked operators to submit a return to the Licensing Authority in order to measure the number of interventions they were taking to assist customers and self exclude those who required that option.

The proposed policy was to be considered by the Licensing Committee prior to moving forward for approval to Council on 15 December 2021.

Members asked for and received clarification of the following:-

·         Gambling licence required in sports clubs – exemptions existed for private members clubs

·         Artificial pitches hired out for private event still members club – would depend on whether licenseable activity was taking place.

·         Review of other strategies in relation to gambling harm – wording put forward by the project manager who was leading on the work to reduce harm. The government was reviewing gambling legislation as it was very much out of date, particularly in relation to online gambling. Large operators paid into a scheme to assist gamblers with problems.

·         Further develop the strategy after it went to Council – it could be amended at any point.

·         Bingo prize limit of £2000 – monetary value.

·         Gaming industry targeting child spend – Gambling Commission did not regulate children’ activities and regulations were being circumvented.

·         Food banks could help identify those with problems – a wide range of practitioners signposted people to where they could access help. This suggestion would be raised with the public health practitioners.

RESOLVED that:

1.    The report be noted.

2.    The revised policy be recommended to the Council for approval.