Licensing enforcement team at Hackney seizes 38 illegal gambling machines

The licensing enforcement team at the London Borough of Hackney has seized 38 illegal gambling machines after investigating seven businesses.

Working alongside the police and the Gambling Commission, Hackney’s team visited social clubs in the borough last Friday (2 October).

The council said that none of the seven premises had the correct licence to have the gambling machines. Hackney had previously warned the businesses to remove them.

The machines taken included fruit machines, betting terminals and video poker machines.

Businesses must have a licence issued by the council to legally have these machines on the premises, Hackney pointed out.

Cllr Sophie Linden, Deputy Mayor, said: “In order to have machines like this legally, businesses must have the correct licence so that we can regulate them. This is so we can work to protect vulnerable people from harm, prevent gambling being associated with crime and ensure that gambling is conducted in a fair and open way.”

Matthew Hill, the Commission’s Director, Regulatory Risk & Analysis, said: “This is a great example of a licensing authority taking responsibility for dealing with gambling-related crime, working in partnership with the police and the Gambling Commission.”

Hackney said the seized machines were now liable to be destroyed. The owners will have 28 days to claim the machines, if they want to dispute their legality.