The Gambling Act 2005 (Gaming Tables in Casinos) (Definitions) (Amendment) Regulations 2025

Made: 22nd April 2025

Laid before Parliament: 24th April 2025

Coming into force: 22nd July 2025

The Secretary of State makes these Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by section 172(6) of the Gambling Act 2005[^f00001].

Citation, commencement and extent

1

• (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Gambling Act 2005 (Gaming Tables in Casinos) (Definitions) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 and come into force on 22nd July 2025.

• (2) These Regulations extend to England and Wales and Scotland.

Amendment of the Gambling Act 2005 (Gaming Tables in Casinos) (Definitions) Regulations 2009

2

• (1) The Gambling Act 2005 (Gaming Tables in Casinos) (Definitions) Regulations 2009[^f00002] are amended as follows.

• (2) Omit paragraph (2) of regulation 1 (interpretation).

• (3) For regulation 2 (gaming table: definition) (but not the heading), substitute—

(2) For the purposes of section 172(3) to (5) of the Act, a gaming table is an apparatus that is designed or adapted to enable individuals to play a real game of chance[^f00003] where the design or adaptation is such that the apparatus is required to be controlled or operated by an individual employed or concerned in arranging for others to play the game.

Signed

Twycross — Parliamentary Under Secretary of State — Department for Culture, Media and Sport — 22nd April 2025

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

Explanatory Note

These Regulations make amendments to the Gambling Act 2005 (Gaming Tables in Casinos) (Definitions) Regulations 2009 (S.I. 2009/1970) (“the 2009 Regulations”) to alter what constitutes a “gaming table” in a casino for the purposes of section 172(3) to (5) of the Gambling Act 2005 (“the Act”).

Subsections (3) to (5) of section 172 of the Act make provision as to the number of gaming machines which may be made available for use in a casino by the holders of different types of casino premises licences issued under the Act. As well as a fixed numerical maximum, the number of gaming machines must not exceed a specified multiple of the number of gaming tables used in that casino. (Regulation 3 of the 2009 Regulations addresses when a gaming table is to be treated as being used in a casino at a particular time.)

The effect of the amendments made by regulation 2 is that a gaming table only counts for the purposes of this multiple if it is an apparatus which is designed or adapted to enable individuals to play a real (i.e. non-virtual) game of chance, where the design or adaptation is such that the apparatus needs to be controlled or operated by casino staff.

A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sectors is foreseen.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 2005 c. 19.

[^f00002]: S.I. 2009/1970.

[^f00003]: “Game of chance” is defined in section 6 of the Gambling Act 2005. By section 353(1) of that Act, “real”, in relation to a game, event or process, is defined as “non-virtual”; the meaning of “virtual” is explained in section 353(3) of that Act.