A track premises licence permits the premises to be used for the provision of facilities for betting but does not permit the licence holder to provide casino, bingo or other types of gambling on tracks, as these activities are the subject of separate premises licences.
There is no list of premises that are officially recognised as "tracks" but there are a number of venues where sporting events take place and accordingly could accommodate the provision of betting facilities, e.g. a horse racecourse, a greyhound track, football, cricket and rugby grounds, a golf course, an athletics stadium etc.
The applicant for a Betting (track) premises licence need not necessarily hold an operating licence from the Gambling Commission. That is because, the betting that is provided upon the track may not be provided by them, but may be provided by other operators who come onto the track. Since those operators will require the necessary operating licences, the Act allows the track premises licence holder to obtain a premises licence, without also having to hold an operating licence. If the occupier of the track wishes to offer pool betting (or general betting) facilities themselves then they would require an operating licence from the Gambling Commission.
To apply to Fife Licensing Board for a Betting (track) premises licence you must
- complete the application form and submit it with a scale plan of the premises and the appropriate fee
- provide us with details of your operators' licence (issued by the Gambling Commission)
- inform the Responsible Authorities (using the prescribed form) within 7 days of the date on which the application was made
- publish, in a local newspaper, an advertisement (using the prescribed form) within 10 working days starting with the day after the date on which the application was made
- display a notice on your premises (using the prescribed form) for a period of not less than 28 consecutive days, starting on the date on which the application was made. The notice must be clearly visible to members of the public passing by the premises.
The period for representations is as follows:
- within 28 days of the date on which the application was made
A Betting (track) premises licence is of unlimited duration. The first annual fee is due within 30 days of the issue of the licence and thereafter before each anniversary of the issue of the licence.
Please see the attached publications below for more details.
