UK Gambling Commission Trains Local Authorities in Dealing with FOBTs

In light of the additional authority about to be granted to local councils to prevent the superfluous proliferation of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) in towns and cities, the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is currently holding a series of workshops aimed at helping them identify and take actions against illegal gambling machines. The gaming regulatory body’s Local Authority Liaison Unit (LALU) together with the Westminster City Training have developed and are delivering courses at several  training venues across the UK.

Some of the workshops are taking place in a live casino environment, as the course includes providing local councils and police officers with practical and hands-on experience. Accordingly, conducting training in such conditions would subsequently prove useful once they get to encounter the real challenges posed by licensing, deploying and policing of gambling machines.  Aspers Casinos and The Rank Group, which owns Grosvenor Casinos and Mecca Bingo, have extended their support by hosting a number of seminars. The training events commenced last April 10 at Bristol’s Grosvenor Casino, and slated to wind up on July 31, 2014.

LALU’s Rob Burkitt stated that one of the focal points of the training is the authority of the local councils over illegal betting machines. The continuing technological advancements in gaming machines was likewise taken into consideration, as this gives emphasis to the need for acquiring knowledge on what to look for when councilors and police officers face issues surrounding illegally operating FOBTs existing in their midst. The act of supplying betting machines or making such equipment available to the public without the proper licence or approval from the local council will be regarded as a criminal offence.