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Gambling Commission looks at Fee structure!

One of the matters that the Gambling Commission / Government received criticism over when Gambling underwent wholesale reform in 2007 was the significant increase in fees that operators of Gambling premises (in particular Betting Offices) experienced as compared with the old regime.

The DCMS has recently announced a consultation in relation to Operating Licence fees. Broadly speaking, the proposal, if adopted, would see a reduction in annual fees for smaller non-remote Betting operators and higher fees for larger operators involved in the Betting sector, with about half unchanged.

The Government have reiterated the desire that the cost of the Gambling Commission's activities (enforcement, advice etc.) do not become the burden of the tax payer and are self financing.

At present, Operating Licences are split in to five different categories (A-E), A being for the smaller operators through to E for the largest operators (100 premises or more). The consultation proposes the following changes - D and E split into 8 sub categories D1 is 51 - 99, D2 is 100 - 199. There are then categories E1 - 6 with the largest operators (1,000 plus) in either E4, E5 or E6.

The consultation closes on the 15th December 2011 and we would urge all operators to visit the link above and make their comments known. As with all such consultations, only if the interested parties in the industry interact will the Government respond.

We will keep you advised as to any further developments.