Sections 51 to 55: Employment offences
184.It is an offence to employ children and young persons to provide facilities for gambling, except in the case of private or non-commercial gaming and betting and in relation to prize gaming at a travelling fair. There is a further exception in the case of lotteries and football pool betting. In those cases, the offence only extends to the employment of children and not young persons. The National Lottery is excluded from this provision. Regulations made under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993 already prohibit the sale of National Lottery tickets to those under 16.
185.Restrictions are imposed on the ways in which children and young people can be employed to work on premises where facilities for gambling are provided, even if they are not engaged to perform any gambling activities themselves. This is to ensure that children and young people are not afforded undesirable exposure to gambling.
186.It is an offence to employ children to work in premises at any time when facilities for the playing of bingo are being provided on the premises. It is also an offence to employ children at a club or institute at any time when facilities for gambling are being provided pursuant to a permit (section 53).
187.In relation to any premises where gaming machines of any category are situated, then any child or young person employed may not perform any function that involves the gaming machine. Therefore, for example, a child may be employed in a family entertainment centre to undertake non-gambling activities, although he may not operate or handle the machine or pay customers prizes in the event that the machine has insufficient money in it (and he may not enter the area where the Category C machines are located) (section 54).
188.Generally children and young persons are not allowed to be employed in any capacity in casinos, betting premises and adult gaming centres. This is subject to an exception in the case of regional casinos where children and young persons can be employed in non-gambling areas. It is possible, however, for children and young persons to be employed in adult only gambling premises (small and large casinos, the gambling area of regional casinos, betting offices and adult gaming centres) when no facilities for gambling are being provided. Therefore, for example, a sixteen-year-old apprentice joiner may undertake improvement works on the structure of a bar in a casino when it is closed (section 55).
189.There is also an effective prohibition on children and young persons being employed in the betting areas of certain tracks and the adult-only areas of family entertainment centres. This follows the provisions referred to above which generally prohibit children and young persons from being able to enter such areas (sections 47 and 49).
