Gambling Policy in Stockport

Overview

As a local authority Stockport Council is responsible for the licensing of a wide range gambling premises within the Stockport area, these include casinos, betting shops, bingo premises and gaming centres. The Council has a Gambling Policy which provides a framework around what issues will be considered relevant when determining gambling applications, what standards are expected, and, what action can be taken when things go wrong.

The Council is required by law to review its gambling policy every three years, this ensures that the policy is kept up to date in terms of legislation, good practice and emerging issues in respect of gambling.

The Council is now launching  a consultation process on its updated gambling policy which is expected to come into effect on 1 April 2022. The consultation is open from Friday 3 December 2021 until Friday 21 January 2022.

The updated policy has a different format to the current version although much of the information remains the same. The 10 Councils of Greater Manchester have worked together to align policies as much as possible across the 10 Council areas. This is seen as appropriate as there is now a Greater Manchester Gambling Harms Reduction Programme which aims to support reductions in gambling harms across the 10 Council areas.

The key changes in the updated policy are as follows:

• Information on public health and links to gambling related harm:

  • Information and reference to research material regarding gambling related harms is included in the updated policy. This includes specific information in respect of Stockport and more widely across Greater Manchester

  • Gambling harms have emerged as a “public health” problem and although Public Health is  not a responsible authority under the Gambling Act, the updated policy advises that the director of Public Health will be consulted on licensing application

  • The updated policy introduces the Greater Manchester gambling harms reduction programme and details that applicants will be expected to show how they are protecting local populations from gambling related harms   

• Updated information in respect of demographics of Stockport:

  • Updated information on Stockports economy, regeneration and population has been provided. The One Stockport Borough Plan is referenced as the aspirational plan for Stockport up to 2030

• A list of primary authorities for named companies (this is a single local authority that agrees to be a first point of contact for a named gambling company/ organisation):

  • The updated policy includes details of primary authorities ie named local authorities who Stockport will seek guidance and advice from in respect of the named operator before taking any enforcement action against the named operator, the purpose of the primary authority scheme being to promote consistency and good practice

• Additional considerations in respect of applications and reviews:

  • The updated policy is explicit in terms of detailing what the Council considers are relevant considerations that applicants and licence holders should take to ensure that their premises operates in such a way that licensing objectives are promoted

• Reference to the relatively new activity of entertainment bingo:

  • This is a relatively newcomer to the leisure sector. In general terms it is an entertainment activity that involves music, singing, dancing, bingo and the sale of alcohol. It is generally aimed at a younger customer base than traditional bingo and is popular in student areas. The reference to this activity in the updated policy details the Councils aspiration that the activity should promote responsible gambling messages 

The full updated policy can be accessed here.

Please provide any comments on the policy by answering the questions on the following pages. Alternatively, please email licensing@stockport.gov.uk – the email should be headed Gambling Policy consultation.