Bingo Gambling in the United Kingdom in the Commission Era

The game of bingo has always been a popular pastime, especially among the Britons. With the creation of the new gambling legislation in the United Kingdom, many players and casino operators have begun to question the place of bingo within the new laws and how they can go about keeping their fun legal and complying with the laws set out by the Gambling Commission.

Where once bingo clubs were left out of the scrutiny of the law, today if someone wants to operate a commercial bingo club, they need to first obtain a certificate of consent from the Gambling Commission and then apply to their local magistrate for a license. The process can take between six and eight weeks to process.

If a non-gambling club wishes to offer bingo as an activity for its members, there are certain restrictions to this as well. The club needs to have at least 25 members to qualify for permission to play bingo. When the activity takes place, the club may not admit other members of the public – only club members. In addition, the club cannot charge above a certain amount of money as an entrance fee – generally around 60p.

Bingo has always been associated with charity events and under the new law, it seems inconceivable that every time a church wishes to make a little money, it will need to apply for a license. The Gambling Commission thus specifies that if the money being collected from the bingo activity is intended for charity, no license needs to be obtained. Again, there is a limit to how much money can be levied on participating bingo players, as well as the prize money. The Commission states that for charity events, the total value of the prizes should be less than 400 Pounds.

What about underage gambling? Because bingo is usually associated with family-type activities, many people find it hard to suddenly accept that bingo is out of bounds for under 18s. The new legislation states that minors can be present on the premises where bingo is being played, but they cannot take part in the games. On the other hand, minors may work in these gambling establishments (subject to employment statutes).

The Gambling Commission continuously changes and updates its rules and regulations as it sees fit. The new law is due to come into effect in 2007 and it will only be after several months that we can begin to see how the law works ‘on the ground’. There will surely be other changes and amendments as time goes by and the Gambling Commission notes what is working, and what is not. The important thing to remember, however, is that the United Kingdom is moving away from a policy of restriction and prohibition, and is moving towards a policy of regulation. The general consensus is that the English are going to gamble whether there is a law or not, and so it is better for everyone if some sort of regulation was in place.