Gambling and lottery licences

If you want to provide facilities for gambling you must hold a relevant licence or permit. We aim to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation at all times. To see how we handle personal information, please ensure that you have read our privacy notice.

There are three types of licence:

Operator Licence, concerned with the management and conduct of gambling, issued and regulated by the Gambling Commission
Personal Licence, for persons with key operational functions connected with the gambling business, issued and regulated by the Gambling Commission
Premises Licence, for the property where the gambling takes place, issued and regulated by the us
we also issue permits for premises to provide gaming machines

Further information is available from the links below and the Gambling Commission website.

Public register

Information on current applications or licensed premises and conditions is available by searching the public register.

Statement of principles

Every three years, Redbridge Council is required to produce a gambling policy also known as a statement of principles. The policy sets out our approach to licensing premises used for gambling such as amusement arcades, betting shops, bingo halls and clubs and pubs that provide gaming machines.

View our current statement of principles, Redbridge Council's Statement of Principles for Gambling (PDF 2020 KB) which covers the period 31 January 2022 to 30 January 2025.

The Statement of Gambling Principles has been reviewed and refreshed to ensure that it is up to date and relevant to Redbridge’s current circumstances and how they affect the licensed gambling economy.

The full details of the policy can be found in the draft Statement of Gambling Principles 2025-2028. Most of the changes are minor in nature, and seek to take into account legislative changes and make the policy more user-friendly. However, there is one proposed significant change which is detailed below:

Redbridge Gambling Vulnerability Area: a review of the data and key stakeholder views has been undertaken to update the previous Local Area Profile for Gambling in Redbridge. This has led to a new policy being included to outline additional consideration of vulnerability issues by any applicant seeking a licence for a premises in the area of Ilford Town and Ilford Lane. The area proposed for the Gambling Vulnerability Area mirrors the current Ilford Town (including Ilford Lane) Cumulative Impact Zone in the Statement of Licensing Policy 2020-25.

To facilitate this the Council has launched a public consultation which runs from the 22 July until the 15 September. Full details can be found within theGambling Act Policy Consultation.

Licensing objectives

The Gambling Act 2005 requires that Premises Licences granted must be reasonably consistent with the licensing objectives which are:

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

Any conditions applied to a licence will seek to promote these objectives.

If you wish to make a relevant representation or call for a review of a licence you should indicate which of the objectives it relates to.

Premises licence application

Use these forms to apply for a gambling premises licence.

Adult gaming centre premises licence fees

new £2,000
annual fee £1,000
variation £1,000
transfer £1,200
reinstatement £1,200
provisional statement £2,000
application by provisional statement holder £1,200
copy licence £25
notification of change £50

Betting premises (non track) licence fees

new £3,000
annual fee £600
variation £1,500
transfer £1,200
reinstatement £1,200
provisional statement £3,000
application by provisional statement holder £1,200
copy licence £25
notification of change £50

Betting premises (track) licence fees

new £2,500
annual fee £1,000
variation £1,250
transfer £950
reinstatement £950
provisional statement £2,500
application by provisional statement holder £950
copy licence £25
notification of change £50

Bingo club premises licence fees

new £3,500
annual fee £1,000
variation £1,750
transfer £1,200
reinstatement £1,200
provisional statement £3,500
application by provisional statement holder £1,200
copy licence £25
notification of change £50

Family entertainment centre premises licence fees

new £2,000
annual fee £750
variation £1,000
transfer £950
reinstatement £950
provisional statement £2,000
application by provisional statement holder £950
copy licence £25
notification of change £80

Unlicensed family entertainment centre gaming machine permit fees

new application £300
renewal application £300
change of name £30
copy of permit £15

Prize gaming permit fees

change of name of existing company (cannot be used to transfer) £30
copy of permit £15
new application £300
renewal application £300
change of name £30
copy of permit £15

Alcohol licensed premises gaming fees

notification of two or less gaming machines (please note a new notification is required if the alcohol licence is transferred to another person or company) £50
new permit application (required where more than 2 machines provided) £150
annual fee (permits only) £50
change of name £25
copy of permit £15
variation (permits only) £100
transfer (permits (only) £25

Club gaming and gaming machine permits

Applications should be directed to our Licensing Authority.

Club gaming machine permit application (PDF 310KB)

annual fee £50
new/renewal fee £200
copy of permit £15
variation £100
New - Fast Track procedure for holder of a club premises certificate - £100
Renewal – Fast Track procedure for holder of a club premises certificate - £100

Provisional statement

These forms relate to an application for a provisional statement.

provisional statement application GA51 (PDF 237KB)
notice to responsible authorities GA52A (PDF 68KB) for use by individual applicants only
for use by multiple applicants or organisations GA52B (PDF 86KB) For use by multiple applicants or organisations
notice for display on premises GA53 (PDF 22KB) (use an additional copy to send to the newspaper)
newspaper advertisement confirmation GA91 (PDF 125KB)

Small society lottery

If you’re a society, club or charity with a head office in Redbridge and you intend to raise funds by selling tickets to the general public in advance of any type of draw (raffles, lotteries, tombolas, etc), then you will need to register with us. Full guidance on the application process can be obtained on the Gambling Commission website.

There are exemptions and limits so please read the guidance notes for your own events and for joint events and information on promoting lotteries before you apply. The Gambling Commission also have some useful information on running events.

New applications

If you meet the criteria, download and complete the small society lottery application form (PDF254KB). Return it to us by post or email with the supplementary documents listed below and a cheque or postal order for the application fee of £40, or we can invoice you to pay by a means convenient to you.

Applicants must submit a copy of their terms and conditions and their constitution to establish that they are a non-commercial society.
Details of two additional signatories who must be members of the society and appointed to sign the returns form (or the governing body). They must send us their letter of appointment. The Promoter cannot be a signatory.
The licence holder will be required to complete a Declaration of Convictions (349KB) on application and every three years after that.

Annual fees

These licences are valid from the date of issue provided the annual fee is paid, this will be invoiced each October for the year ahead. Failure to settle this fee prior to December 31st will result in the licence lapsing and a new application would be required going forward. This fee is set at £20.

Changes

It is the responsibility of the registered organisation to keep us informed of any changes to the named officers, correspondence information, society's terms and conditions and constitution or equivalent and also to inform us in writing if the licence is to be surrendered.

Reporting activity

You will be required to provide a report of funds raised after each event on the small society return form (PDF 734KB). to be submitted within three months of the event.

Fees

New application fee - £40 (includes a copy of the registration)
Annual maintenance fee - £20
A copy of the submitted event return - £15
A copy of the registration - £15

Poker

Poker in pubs

There is a maximum value to both the amount that can be staked and the prize that can be offered when poker is played in pubs.

the maximum stake per player is £5 per game. The combined stakes for your pub may not exceed £100 per day
the maximum prize you can offer is £100 per game. This includes money, payment in kind, vouchers, goods, donated items, goodie bags, buy-ins at other poker tournaments and any other item that has a value
you cannot charge a fee for participation. This includes, for example, making players pay for a compulsory meal
whether the change is said to be voluntary or compulsory is irrelevant
you may not link your poker game to games at other premises

The Gambling Commission has issued a Code of Practice for Poker in Pubs which explains in detail what pubs are required to do in order to hold poker.

The pub's Designated Premises Supervisor is responsible for ensuring compliance and keeping the records outlined in the Code of Practice.

If you fail to comply with the limits on stakes and prizes and the Code of Practice, the Licensing Authority may remove the exemption for alcohol licensed premises that allows you to provide poker in your pub.

There are different rules for providing poker in members clubs depending on whether the club is a commercial club (i.e. run as a business to make money) or whether it is a members club that is run on a 'not for profit' basis. Not for profit clubs return any money made to their members, for example by way of a subsidised bar facility.

Poker in clubs

Members clubs

members clubs can obtain a Club Gaming Permit from the Council. This permit will allow poker with unlimited stakes and prizes to be held on the premises. A maximum participation fee of £3 a day can be charged
there are important tests to determine whether premises are operating as genuine members clubs. If you offer poker or other gambling as the primary activity of the club (except for bridge and whist clubs) or if you offer poker on a commercial basis you would not be considered a bona fide members club. In such cases you may have your Club Premises Certificate (which allows members clubs to sell alcohol) revoked
you may not deduct any money from stakes or winnings and you cannot charge a fee to anyone for playing poker except the maximum £3 fee described above

Commercial clubs

the maximum stake per player is £10 per game. The combined stakes for your premises must not exceed £250 a day up to a maximum of £1,000 per week. The maximum prize you can offer is £250 per game
if you don't have a Club Machine Permit, you can charge a maximum participation fee of £1 per person per day. If you do have a Club Machine Permit, you can charge a maximum participation fee of £3 per player per day
you cannot increase the participation fee by requiring any form of 'voluntary' donation

Do you have concerns about a licensed premises?

Please report it here.

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