Lords Amendment Could Let Councils Block New Betting Shops and Bingo Halls

_{Baroness Taylor of Stevenage has tabled the amendment to the 2005 Gambling Act. (Image:Roger Harris, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons)}

A House of Lords amendment would give local councils in England the power to block new betting shops, bingo halls, adult gaming centres, and family entertainment centres on the basis of a published impact assessment, bypassing the existing requirement to consider each licence application individually.

The amendment, tabled by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage and sponsored by Lord Foster of Bath, proposes inserting two new sections into the Gambling Act 2005. It is being examined as part of the report stage of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, which is currently before the Lords and is scheduled to conclude its report stage on 13 April 2026.

If passed, the change would allow licensing authorities to publish a Gambling Impact Assessment (GIA) where they believe that granting further licences in a defined area is not reasonably consistent with the licensing objectives under the 2005 Act. Once published, that assessment could form the sole legal basis for refusing an application, provided the authority has included a presumption to refuse in its three-year licensing policy.

Richard Bradley, a partner at gambling licensing law firm Poppleston Allen, has said the amendment represents a potential threat to what he describes as the 'aim to permit' principle currently embedded in the Gambling Act, under which a licence application should, in theory, be approved if there is no valid reason to refuse it.

What the Amendment Would Change

Under the current framework established by the Gambling Act 2005, licensing authorities are expected to apply the licensing objectives, not act as a barrier to new premises. The amendment proposes shifting that balance by allowing authorities to establish a presumption of refusal in designated areas, based on cumulative impact rather than individual application merit.

The four types of premises licence that would fall within the scope of a GIA are: bingo premises licences, adult gaming centre premises licences, family entertainment centre premises licences, and betting premises licences. Casino premises licences are not included.

Authorities publishing a GIA would also be permitted to cap the total number of relevant licences in a defined area. They would be required to review any published assessment periodically and to consult relevant persons before publishing or revising an assessment, in line with existing requirements under section 349(3) of the 2005 Act.

What Protection Remains for Applicants

The amendment includes a safeguard for applicants. A refusal based solely on a GIA would be unlawful if the applicant asserts in their application that the grant would be reasonably consistent with the licensing objectives covered by the assessment, and then demonstrates that this is the case.

Bradley's firm notes this means the burden shifts: rather than an authority needing to prove harm, an operator in a GIA area would need to affirmatively show their application is consistent with the relevant objectives in order to succeed.

The amendment has not yet been voted on. The House of Lords has not yet considered Amendment 305, and report stage is due to continue with a concluding session on 13 April 2026. Whether the amendment survives to Third Reading, or is accepted by the government, remains to be seen.

The proposal arrives during a period of continued legislative attention on gambling reform in Great Britain. The Gambling Act 2005 has faced sustained scrutiny following the government's white paper process, with various stakeholders pushing for tighter local controls over the density of gambling premises in high-deprivation areas.