Gambling licence decisions: appeal to a tribunal

What you can appeal against

You can appeal against a decision about your gambling licence if:

• your licence application is turned down
• your licence is suspended or revoked
• you receive a fine or warning
• there are changes to your licence conditions

You normally have to pay a fee to appeal. This fee will be refunded if you win your case.

The Gambling Commission’s decision will usually be put on hold until after it has been considered by the tribunal. If the decision is supposed to take effect right away, you can ask the tribunal to delay it.

The tribunal

Your case will be dealt with by a tribunal in the General Regulatory Chamber.

The tribunal is independent of the government, and will listen to both sides of the argument before it reaches its decision.

If you or your witness or representative is outside the UK and wants to give live video or audio evidence, contact the tribunal to request it. Tell the tribunal what country you, the witness or representative is in and what type of evidence is being given. You must do this as soon as possible.

Time limits for appealing

You have 28 days to appeal after the commission sends you the decision letter.

If you miss the time limit, you can ask for more time to appeal. Explain why you’re late, and the tribunal will decide if it can still take your case.

How to appeal

Complete the relevant General Regulatory Chamber (First-tier Tribunal) form.

Clearly say why you want to appeal against the decision.

Include any supporting documents, like the Gambling Commission’s decision.

Send the form to grc@justice.gov.uk or:

Telephone: 020 3936 8963
Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm
Find out about call charges

Tribunal staff can explain how the process works, but they cannot give you legal advice.

Appeal fees

The fee depends on what your appeal is about:

Type of appeal	Fee
Casino operating licence	£4,521
Bingo operating licence	£4,521
General betting operating licence	£4,521
Pool betting operating licence	£4,521
Betting intermediary operating licence	£4,521
Gaming machine general operating licence for an adult gaming centre	£4,521
Gaming machine general operating licence for a family entertainment centre	£4,521
Gaming machine technical operating licence	£4,521
Gaming software operating licence	£4,521
Lottery operating licence	£4,521
Personal management office licence	£1,816
Personal operational functional licence	£908
Order to void a bet	£4,521

You can pay by cheque (payable to ‘HM Courts & Tribunals Service’) or debit or credit card.

Contact the tribunal if you want to pay by debit or credit card.

Apply for help with fees

You may not have to pay some or all of the fee if it will cause you serious financial difficulty.

Personal applications:

• ask for help with fees
• guidance leaflet

Company applications:

• apply for reduced fee for a company
• guidance leaflet

What happens next

The tribunal will write to you about the next steps.

Find out more about General Regulatory Chamber hearings and decisions.

Legislation and rules

You can find the right to appeal to the tribunal in part 7 of the Gambling Act 2005.

For more detailed rules on how your case will be handled, read the General Regulatory Chamber procedure rules.