Gaming Act 1968

Certificate of consent for purposes of application for licence

3 (1) An application for the grant of a licence under this Act in respect of any premises shall be of no effect unless—

(a) the Board have issued to the applicant a certificate consenting to his applying for such a licence in respect of those premises, and that certificate is for the time being in force and the application is made within the period specified in the certificate, and

(b) where the certificate is limited to a bingo club licence, the application is for the grant of a bingo club licence in respect of those premises.

(2) In the following provisions of this Schedule any reference to an application for the grant of a licence under this Act shall be construed as not including any application which by virtue of the preceding sub-paragraph is of no effect.

4 (1) The provisions of this paragraph shall have effect with respect to any application for a certificate of consent (in this paragraph referred to as a " consent application ") for the purposes of an application for the grant of a licence under this Act (in this paragraph referred to, in relation to a consent application, as " the relevant licence application ").

(2) Any consent application shall be made to the Board by the person proposing to make the relevant licence application, and shall—

(a) specify the premises in respect of which the relevant licence application is proposed to be made, and

(b) state whether the relevant licence application will be for the grant of a bingo club licence or for a licence under this Act other than a bingo club licence.

(3) The Board shall not (unless in any particular case they think fit to do so) be required to entertain a consent application unless it is made—

(a) before the end of the period of three months beginning with the date appointed under section 54(4) of this Act for the purposes of this paragraph, or

(b) after the end of the period of fifteen months beginning with that date and before the end of the month of October in the year immediately preceding the year in which the relevant licence application is proposed to be made.

(4) The Board shall not issue a certificate on a consent application if it appears to the Board that the applicant—

(a) not being a body corporate, is under twenty-one years of age, or

(b) not being a body corporate, is not resident in Great Britain or was not so resident throughout the period of six months immediately preceding the date on which the application was made, or

(c) being a body corporate, is not incorporated in Great Britain.

(5) Subject to sub-paragraph (4) of this paragraph, in determining whether to issue to an applicant a certificate consenting to his applying for the grant of a licence under this Act in respect of any premises, the Board shall have regard only to the question whether, in their opinion, the applicant is likely to be capable of, and diligent in, securing that the provisions of this Act and of any regulations made under it will be complied with, that gaming on those premises will be fairly and properly conducted, and that the premises will be conducted without disorder or disturbance.

(6) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (5) of this paragraph the Board shall in particular take into consideration the character, reputation and financial standing—

(a) of the applicant, and

(b) of any person (other than the applicant) by whom, if a licence were granted on the relevant licence application, the club to which the consent application relates would be managed, or for whose benefit, if a licence were so granted, that club would be carried on,

but may also take into consideration any other circumstances appearing to them to be relevant in determining whether the applicant is likely to be capable of, and diligent in, securing the matters mentioned in that sub-paragraph.

(7) If on a consent application made to the Board in respect of any premises the Board issue to the applicant a certificate consenting to his applying for the grant of a licence under this Act in respect of those premises, the certificate shall—

(a) specify the applicant and those premises ;

(b) specify a period within which the relevant licence application can be made ; and

(c) state whether the consent is or is not limited to a bingo club licence.