Family Entertainment Centres
Introduction
If you’re going to provide Category C or D machines, you’ll need:
- an operating licence from the Gambling Commission
- a family entertainment centre premises licence from us
- a personal licence from the Gambling Commission, unless you’re a small scale operator
Eligibility
You can apply for a family entertainment centre premises licence for any premises or vessel which is in a fixed location when you’re providing the activities the licence covers, including:
- vessels designed or adapted for use in, on or over water
- hovercrafts, as defined under the Hovercraft Act 1968
You can’t apply for a betting premises licence for a vehicle.
Conditions
Your licence may have certain conditions, including:
- providing door supervision
- making sure children and young people don’t have access to any Category B machines
You’ll need to keep your licence on the premises and present it to the police, an enforcement officer or authorised Council officer if they ask for it. If you don’t, you could receive a fine.
Duration
An family entertainment centre premises licence lasts until you either:
- die
- become incapable of carrying on licensed activities, in our opinion
- declare yourself bankrupt, go into liquidation or you’ve applied for debt relief order under Part 7A of the Insolvency Act 1986
If your licence lapses, you may apply to reinstate it within six months of it lapsing.
Fee
You must pay:
- a fee to apply for a family entertainment centre premises licence
- an annual administration fee
Other considerations
You may have to pay Machine Games Duty (MGD).