Betting and Gaming Duties Act 1981

Enforcement

16 (1) If any person contravenes or fails to comply with any provision of this Part of this Schedule or regulations, or fails or refuses to comply with any requirement lawfully made of him under this Part of this Schedule or regulations, he shall be guilty of an offence and be liable on summary conviction to a penalty of £500.

(2) Where a person is convicted of an offence under this paragraph consisting in a failure to comply with any provision of this Part of this Schedule or of regulations, and the failure continues after the conviction, he shall be guilty of a further offence under this paragraph and may on conviction be punished accordingly.

17 (1) If a justice of the peace or, in Scotland, a justice (within the meaning of section 462 of the [1975 c. 21.] Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act) is satisfied on information on oath that there is reasonable ground for suspecting that gaming machines are or have been, or are to be, provided for gaming on any premises in contravention of section 24 of this Act, he may issue a warrant in writing authorising an officer to enter the premises (if necessary by force) at any time within fourteen days of the issue of the warrant and search them.

(2) An officer who enters premises under the authority of such a warrant may—

(a) seize and remove any records, accounts or other documents, or any gaming machine (including any machine appearing to the officer to be constructed or adapted, or to be capable of use, for playing a game of chance by means of it), or any tokens or other thing whatsoever, found on the premises which he has reasonable cause to believe may be required as evidence for the purposes of proceedings in respect of an offence under section 24 of this Act or paragraph 16 above ;

(b) search any person found on the premises whom he has reasonable cause to believe to be or have been concerned with the provision of gaming machines on the premises, or with the management of the premises, or to be or have been responsible for controlling the admission of persons to the premises.

18 Where an officer finds gaming machines provided on any premises in such circumstances that a gaming machine licence is required so as to authorise them so to be provided and either—

(a) there is not produced to him on demand a valid gaming machine licence in respect of the premises, or

(b) such a licence is produced, but the officer is satisfied that, having regard to the number of machines on the premises and their description, there is or has been a contravention of section 24 of this Act in respect of the premises,

all gaming machines found on the premises shall be liable to forfeiture.