Issue - meetings

The Committee received a report from the Team Manager (Commercial & Licensing).

The report advised that Cambridge City Council, as the Licensing Authority, is required to discharge its responsibilities under the Gambling Act 2005 with a view to promoting the three licensing objectives, namely:

·       Preventing gambling from being a source of crime or disorder, being associated with crime or disorder or being used to support crime.

·       Ensuring that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way.

·       Protecting children and other vulnerable persons from being harmed or exploited by gambling.

The Statement of Gambling Principles is required to be reviewed every three years. The current statement runs until the end of January 2019 after which a revised Statement must be in place in order for the relevant duties to be undertaken.

Following review of the Statement, a 12 week consultation was undertaken; 2 responses were received.

After consideration, and minor amendment, the proposed 2019-2022 Statement was presented to the Licensing Committee for consideration.

The Team Manager (Commercial & Licensing) tabled an amendment to section 13 Appendix A of the policy (agenda P153). The new wording is:

13.  Self-Service Betting Terminals (SSBTs) in Betting Premises

The Council will, as per s181 of the Gambling Act 2005, take into account the size of the premises, the number of counter positions available for person-to-person transactions, and the ability of staff to monitor the use of SSBTs by children and young persons (it is an offence for those under 18 to bet) or by vulnerable people, when considering the number / nature / circumstances of SSTBs an operator wants to offer.

The Committee unanimously resolved to accept the amendment.

The Committee:

Resolved (unanimously) to endorse the post-consultation draft Statement of Gambling Principles shown in Appendix A (and amended above); and recommend to full Council that the Statement is approved for publication on 3^rd January 2019, and for it to come into effect on 31^st January 2019.