A Round-Up of DCMS and Gambling Commission News

This article was produced by Olswang LLP, which joined with CMS on 1 May 2017.

The Gambling Commission has issued new guidance on organising small lotteries and promoting society and local authority lotteries. Organising small lotteriespromoting society and local authority lotteriesrunning a lottery provides advice on lotteries that do not require a licence or registration (such as private society lotteries) and provides advice for those operators who do need to apply for a licence from the Gambling Commission or register with their local authority. There is also a general Gambling Commission guidance note on .

In October, the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board published its initial recommendations to the Gambling Commission and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the priorities for research, education and treatment needed to support a national responsible gambling strategy. More detailed recommendations are expected by summer 2010.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport wrote to stakeholders in October to inform them of proposals to bring forward legislation to equalise stake and prize limits in all venues permitted to offer prize gaming and, in relation to that proposal, is preparing to put in place secondary legislation to apply new limits to bingo halls.

The Gambling Commission has issued guidance on the test it will apply when considering whether a remote product is a betting product which requires a remote general betting licence or a gaming product which requires a remote casino licence.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport announced a resolution in the dispute between on course bookmakers and racecourses, with the Racecourse Association agreeing to recognise bookmakers' list positions in existing betting rings until at least 2052 and, in general, to allocate pitches in new betting areas on the basis of existing pitch lists.