Politics
First checks due for personal licences
In the world of bookmaking, personal management holders tend to be relatively senior managers who exert significant control over the provision of gambling. The Gambling Commission’s programme director for licensing and compliance, Sharon McNair, talks personal management licence holders through the steps needed to complete their five-year personal licence maintenance check.
PERSONAL LICENCES A
s an individual holder of a per- sonal manage- ment
licence you must pay a
fee and complete a five- year maintenance check with the Gambling Com- mission to ensure that your licence continues to have effect.
management -
The majority of personal licence
holders in the betting indus- try
those who were licensed on the 1 Septem- ber 2007 - will be paying their first maintenance fee and completing the mainte- nance check in the next few weeks. Payment must be
made within 30 days of the fifth anniversary of a per- sonal licence being issued and failure to do so may lead to a personal licence being revoked. We consider personal licences a key part of the regulatory regime as they ensure personal liability and responsibility for com- pliance and that gambling is conducted fairly and safely. If you are nearing the fifth anniversary of the issue of your licence we will write to you at the address you last told us about. If you have changed address and have failed to tell us then do so immediately.
The information you will receive in the post will include details of when your fee must be paid and a hard copy of a criminal records form which you will be required to com- plete and return by post together with your identity documents. Details will also be provided of how to pay and complete your maintenance check. You will need to get a passport sized photo either in hard copy or in the form of a clear electronic JPEG.
There are several steps you can take to minimise the time and effort spent in completing your check and
paying your fee. First of all, registering online for eSer- vices - Personal at
www.gamblingcommis-
sion.gov.uk will save you time now and in the future. eServices - Personal will make it easier to complete your maintenance check by doing the majority of the work online and will also allow you to pay on line. Other facilities available through eServices Personal will allow you to download a copy of your licence and report any key events you need to notify the Gambling Commission of as a condi- tion of your licence. The fee is set at £370 for
a personal management licence and the revenue col- lected from personal licence maintenance five- year fees will be used to reg- ulate and oversee personal licence holders over the next five year period. Some employers are assisting individuals with the main- tenance check and their payment so it is worth checking before finalising. Your personal mainte- nance check cannot be ignored or put off. If you fail to pay your fee by the due date then you risk putting your employment status at risk through losing your licence.
Industry to fund GamCare to 2015 SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY I
ndustry fundraising body The Responsible Gam- bling Trust has signed a new three year deal with GamCare to secure the provision of treatment services for gamblers and others 'adversely affected by gambling' through to 31 March 2015. The agreement offers GamCare the opportunity to improve and expand the services that it has put in place over the last 15 years with the potential of a £500,000 (26 per cent) increase by 2014/15. Chief executive of the Responsible Gambling Trust Marc Etches said: “The Responsible Gam- bling Trust is delighted to have secured this funding agreement with GamCare, and is particularly pleased to have done so in a spirit of partnership and co- operation allied to a mutual understanding of the need for transparency.
We welcome GamCare’s willingness to work with us on improving its own performance and that of each
of its partners
thereby enhancing value for money. GamCare has already
commissioned
external reviews looking at its existing services around the country, and it is committed to a major evaluation programme designed to evidence the impact its treatment serv- ices are having for those people harmed by gam- bling.”
The 'spirit of partner- ship and co-operation' mentioned by Etches was no doubt a reference to the strained relationship that GamCare had with the Trust's predecessor the Responsible Gam- bling Fund which ulti- mately led to the creation of the Responsible Gam- bling Trust.
Minister for gambling 14 BettingBusinessInteractive • AUGUST 2012
John Penrose said: “Problem gambling is a very serious issue, so I’m delighted that new arrangements for raising and distributing funds for research, education, pre- vention and treatment are slotting into place. The Responsible Gambling Trust, through its support
for GamCare, is putting in place a sensible and sus- tainable support system for those adversely affected by gambling.” GamCare chairman Anthony Jennens added: “It is so good, at last, to see the realisation of what GamCare Trustees have worked hard for over many
years. With security of funding both for the national gambling helpline and now our network of treatment services, we can concentrate on making sure that we provide a stan- dard of help, advice and treatment
across the
country that is second to none in the world.”
JOHN PENROSE: 'A SENSIBLE AND SUSTAINABLE SUPPORT SYSTEM'
SHARON MCNAIR: 'PERSONAL LICENCES A KEY PART OF THE REGULATORY REGIME'
POLITICSBRIEFS LEVY RAISES £74.9M
The Levy Board has revealed that the 50th Levy Scheme for (2011/12) yielded £74.9m, inclusive of voluntary contributions and other revenue, a jump of nearly 25 per cent. The increase arose in part because of changes to the 50th Levy Scheme as contrasted with the 49th Levy Scheme, particularly an increase in the headline rate from 10 to 10.75 per cent and alterations to the threshold relief for Licensed Betting Offices. The Annual Report also notes that calendar year 2012 saw an increased allocation to prize money of £38.2m (2011: £34.1m) with specifically targeted support through the Quality Support Fund.
OLYMPIC PLEDGE
Ahead of the Olympic Games, ESSA secretary general Khalid Ali reasserted his organisation’s commitment to working with the IOC and the British Gambling Commission. He said: “ESSA and our members will make sure that everything possible is done to make sure that the London 2012 Olympic Summer Games are free from corruption and match fixing. We are all looking forward to a tremendous sporting competition that will be enjoyed by millions around the world.” Betting operators have been working for several years with sporting bodies including the IOC, most recently in a Working Group on the Fight against Irregular and Illegal Betting on Sports. The working group published a joint declaration in February 2012.
ILLEGAL BOOKMAKERS JAILED
Father and son illegal bookmakers, James Alston Senior, aged 74, and James Alston Junior (45), have been sentenced at Preston Crown Court. Alston Senior was sentenced to 18 months in prison and his son was sentenced to 12 months in prison. The Gambling Commission’s regional compliance manager Alan Green said: “Working in partnership with other law enforcement agencies is central to the Gambling Commission’s approach to keeping gambling fair and safe. The proceeds from unlicensed bookmaking were taken from very vulnerable people who were often drawn into betting with the Alstons in order to clear or reduce debts that had been built-up through illegal money lending.”
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