Family Entertainment Centres can be authorised either by a Premises Licence or by a Family Entertainment Centre Gaming Machine Permit.
Family Entertainment Centres covered by permits are sometimes referred to as Unlicensed Family Entertainment Centres, they are premises which are wholly or mainly used for making small stakes gaming machines available and can usually be found in holiday parks and on the seafront.
If you want to make category C machines available then you will need a premises licence, but if you only want to have category D machines available you can have a Permit.
You don't need a Gambling Commission operating licence to have an Family Entertainment Centre Gaming Machine Permit. However, the company or person supplying machines to the business (the machine supplier) must be licensed by the Gambling Commission.
Applicants must protect children through trained staff, proper supervision, compliant CCTV, DBS consideration, and staff understanding of stakes and prizes. Applications may be refused if these requirements are not met.
Fees
The fee for a family entertainment centre gaming machine permit is £300.
How to apply
You will need to register for an account on our licencing website before you can apply.
If you already have an account, you can login and apply. You will be prompted to pay for your permit at the end of this application.