Summary
In fulfilment of its obligation under Article 180A(10)(f) of The Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 the Department has decided to hold a 12 week consultation on an initial gambling Code of Practice.
Documents
Consultation description
Under Article 180A(1) of the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 the Department is required to issue one or more codes of practice about the manner in which facilities for gambling are provided (whether by the holder of a licence, permit or certificate under this Order or by another person).
The Code proposed, on which the Department is presently consulting would, six months after the date of issue, have the effect of:
- prohibiting acceptance of credit payments from customers who are not themselves gambling operators;
- banning Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) (or any method of withdrawing cash from a financial institution) from bookmakers’ offices, bingo clubs and dedicated amusement and gaming centre premises;
- requiring age limit notices to be displayed outside and inside gambling premises;
- requiring age verification checks to be carried out on prospective gambling customers who appear to be below the legal age for gambling;
- requiring adherence to the UK Fund Raising Code of Practice in relation to society lottery fundraising activities involving children; and
- requiring a gambling customer self-exclusion scheme to be in place and to be made available to any gambling customer who wishes to self-exclude.
The consultation will run for 12 weeks from 1 October 2024 to 24 December 2024. Those wishing to express a view should reply during this time.
The Department has also published its Equality Screening Document.
A link to Article 180A of The Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 is provided below:
Ways to respond
Consultation closed — responses are no longer being accepted.