Gambling Policy Consultation

Overview

Camden Council is consulting on its draft Statement of Gambling Policy 2026–2029 and updated Camden Local Area Profile.

The public consultation will run for 12 weeks, from Monday 3rd August 2026 until Sunday 25th October 2026.

We welcome views from residents, businesses, gambling operators, responsible authorities, community organisations and anyone with an interest in gambling licensing or gambling-related harm in Camden.

Why we are consulting

The Gambling Act 2005 requires the Council, as the licensing authority, to publish a Statement of Gambling Policy setting out how it will carry out its responsibilities under the Act.

The Council’s current policy covers the period 2023–2026 and is being reviewed and updated for the next three-year period.

The Local Area Profile supports the Policy by providing information about the characteristics of Camden, the location of gambling premises and the local circumstances that may increase the risk of gambling-related harm.

The documents will be used by:

• applicants and gambling operators when preparing applications and local risk assessments;
• responsible authorities and other organisations when considering applications;
• residents and community groups wishing to understand the local gambling licensing framework; and
• the Council when determining applications, carrying out inspections and taking enforcement action.

What is being proposed

The draft Statement of Gambling Policy has been updated to:

• strengthen the focus on preventing and reducing gambling-related harm;
• provide greater recognition of public health, safeguarding and community safety considerations;
• clarify how the Council will consider applications, representations, licence conditions and reviews;
• strengthen expectations relating to operators’ local risk assessments;
• reflect current Gambling Commission guidance and licensing requirements;
• update references to relevant Council strategies, policies and partnership priorities; and
• update the sections relating to premises licences, permits, inspections, compliance and enforcement.

The draft Local Area Profile has also been substantially updated. It includes more recent information relating to:

• Camden’s population and ward structure;
• deprivation, unemployment, debt and household income;
• housing pressures, homelessness and rough sleeping;
• mental health, substance misuse and other indicators of vulnerability;
• children, young people and students;
• crime and antisocial behaviour;
• the location and concentration of gambling premises;
• complaints, inspections and compliance issues; and
• the groups, locations and circumstances that may be associated with an increased risk of gambling-related harm.

The updated Local Area Profile is intended to help gambling operators identify and properly address local risks when preparing or reviewing their premises-specific risk assessments.

Consultation documents

You can read the consultation documents below:

• Draft Statement of Gambling Policy 2026–2029 – [insert link]
• Draft Camden Local Area Profile 2026–2029 – [insert link]

Why your views matter

In particular, we would welcome your views on:

• whether the draft policy is clear and easy to understand
• whether the policy appropriately addresses the three licensing objectives
• whether the Local Area Profile accurately reflects the risks and vulnerabilities present in Camden
• whether the expectations placed on gambling operators are clear and proportionate
• whether any important local issues, evidence or groups have been omitted
• any other changes you believe should be made before the documents are adopted.

Please provide reasons and, where possible, supporting evidence for any changes you propose.

For information on how we will use data collected from this consultation read our privacy statement: Data protection, privacy and cookies - Camden Council The results/responses may be shared with external consultants for analysis and evaluation.