Personal Gambling License Uk
Before a business owner secures the license permission to function, a set of sector-specific license requirements and compliance rules must be met.
Operators of small-scale gambling establishments may apply for an exemption to the requirement for a personal licence. You are a small scale operator if, in relation to the activity authorised by your licence, you have no more than 3 “qualifying positions” each of which is occupied by a “qualified person”. Part 6 of the Gambling Act 2005 (“the Act”) establishes a regime for licensing personnel working in the gambling industry (personal licences), to be regulated by the Gambling Commission. Section 128 of the Act provides that the provisions of Part 5 of the Act, in relation to operating licences, are to apply to a personal licence as they.
A primary purpose of such procedure was designed to determine the behaviour of everyone associated with a particular gambling organisation in order to eliminate the faintest deviation from the jurisdiction’s protocol. Documented information about a business owner, business partners and employee should be provided as a result.
Basic terms and conditions of the Gambling Commission:
- a detailed description of gambling business: an owner of the gambling business should provide the detailed and current information in a particular field of gambling he is planning to run;
- accounting data reports and auditing information;
- a clear description of games offered to the visitors, games specification and system functionality.
Requirements for the owners of gambling businesses:
The regulations of various jurisdictions can vary, however, the license is a must for any authorised gambling business entity that has implemented proper business-planning efforts to stay solvent.
The requirements for obtaining the license for gambling companies are almost the same as for financial companies, insurance companies, banks, exchange offices, etc. They primarily concern accounting and auditing, in addition to functionality of the games and a detailed description of the company’s business activity:
- A good reputation is an asset, which includes: the lack of criminal responsibility, verified identity, proven credit track record, positive credit history information of the owner and employees;
- Detailed summary information on the structure and finances to determine whether the company possesses sufficient resources for the full-fledged business in the field of online gambling.
Employment data requirements:
The primary requirement for almost every jurisdiction is that one of the directors of the company has the citizenship of the country, where the license will be issued. The development of some other rules that will exclude the possibility of applying for a business license in the field of gambling to persons who do not have the sufficient experience in this area as well as the necessary financial capacity is also possible. In a case of non-compliance with certain gaming license requirements, a gambling committee may reject an application for a license. If approved, the company agrees to conduct their business under the laws of the given jurisdiction.
To facilitate the process of obtaining a license, many gaming committees offer to split for a few jurisdictions in the country. If the company plans to start working in one of the online gaming niche-fields, GamingLicensing experts will gladly help you every step of the way, ensuring a smooth application process.
GamingLicensing team of professionals will provide a detailed information covering all the major nuances on how to obtain a gambling license in certain jurisdictions, that would be tailored to your particular needs and budgetary Basically, you’ll get a bunch of highly experienced professionals who will make sure your company fits all of the gaming license requirements and is ready to run a successful business.
FAQ
Who issues gaming licenses to gambling companies?
Gaming licenses are issued by special commissions called gambling commissions. It is in their jurisdiction to issue gambling licenses, regulate online gambling, and decide which gambling companies are eligible to obtain a license based on their business conduct and codes of practice.
What are the basic requirements imposed by gambling commissions?
The basic requirements gambling business owners need to meet to obtain a gambling license include giving a detailed description of their business and the type of gambling operation the company intends to run.
All accounting and data reports need to be submitted for revision as well. Also, you need to provide an unambiguous description of games offered to players, as well as the games’ specifications and functionality.
Are there any requirements for business owners?
Business owners are required to submit financial reports, bank statements, and credit card rating reports to prove their companies are financially capable of maintaining a full-fledged online gambling business. Moreover, a good reputation and a lack of criminal record are considerable assets.
Are there any employee-specific requirements?
Almost all gambling commissions require that at least one of the company directors is a citizen of the country where the license is to be issued. Also, considerable expertise in the gambling industry is required from the company’s employees since that will guarantee the stable operation of the gambling business.
On this page:-
Personal Gambling Licence Uk
Aim of this information
This information is designed to set out how a criminal record can impact on getting a Personal Gambling Licence (known as a Personal Functional Licence).
Why is this important?
Having a criminal record is not a bar to being issued with a Personal Functional Licence. However, it is important that you know what cautions or convictions you need to disclose and how they will be dealt with.
Introduction
The Gambling Commission state that:
“any individual who performs any function which enables them to influence the outcome of gambling or relates to the receiving or paying of money in connection with gambling will require a Personal Functional Licence.”
Details of other types of gambling licence can be found on the Gambling Commission website.
Licence applications
When considering the suitability of an applicant, the Gambling Commission will take account of some of the following in deciding whether or not to issue a Licence:-
- Identity and ownership – Verification of your identity and any other person relevant to the application will be required by way of copies of your driving licence, passport and NI number.
- Finances – Depending on the type of application you are making, you may be required to submit financial documents.
- Integrity – Your honesty and trustworthiness will be assessed
- Competence – You will need to provide details of your experience, expertise, qualifications and employment history.
- Criminality – You will be asked to provide details of your criminal record
Guidance on completing the online Personal Functional Licence application can be found here.
What information about my criminal record do I need to disclose?
Personal Functional Licences (PFL) are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act. See here for further guidance.
The question about criminal records on the PFL application form is as follows:-
‘Please provide details of any criminal legal action which has been taken against you.
All current (i.e. unspent) convictions must be declared. In the case of convictions for relevant offences, previous (i.e. spent) convictions must also be declared’.
Details of relevant offences can be found here. Common offences defined as ‘relevant’ include theft, burglary and handling stolen goods.
It should be noted that the Gambling Commission will carry out Disclosure and Barring Service checks which will show all cautions and convictions unless they are eligible for filtering and for this reason, you may want to consider disclosing all cautions and convictions which would be declared on your DBS certificate.
How are criminal convictions dealt with?
The Gambling Commission state that they will not automatically refuse your licence application if you have a criminal record. In assessing your application they will take the following into account:-
- how serious the offence was
- how relevant it is to the role
- how long ago it was committed
They do say however:
‘We take a serious view when applicants do not state previous convictions on the application form and will always contact the applicant to ask why this was not declared. We check details of cautions, reprimands and spent convictions as well as current convictions’.
Have you been granted a licence with a criminal record?
We’re looking for examples of where people with convictions have been granted a licence with a criminal record so that we can include details here to help give people confidence to apply.
If you’ve been granted a licence with a criminal record, please email us or get in touch to let us know the details – your personal details will be kept confidential and anonymous.
For more information
- Practical self-help information – More information on standard DBS checks can be found here.
- To discuss this issue with others – Read and share your experiences on our online forum
Personal Gambling License Uk Application
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