The Licensing Committee of Wandsworth Council met on Monday 16 February 2026 to approve gambling fees for the upcoming year. The committee agreed to maintain the current fee levels for gambling premises licences, which are set at the maximum permitted by law to ensure cost recovery for the services provided.

Gambling Fees and Charges 2026/27

The committee approved the licence fees for applications under the Gambling Act 2005 to come into effect from 1st April 2026. These fees are set to recover the full cost of providing the relevant services, as mandated by the Act. The council has consistently set the majority of these fees at the maximum level allowed by regulations to ensure cost recovery, and this approach will continue.

The report presented to the committee outlined the number of licensed gambling premises within the borough. As of January 2026, there were 5 licensed bingo premises, a figure that has remained stable over the past year. The number of adult gaming centres had fallen from 11 in 2007 to 3. Similarly, the number of betting premises had decreased from 27 to 26, with an expectation that this trend will continue due to a shift towards online betting.

Councillor French, who was chairing her final Licensing Committee meeting before not standing for re-election, expressed her concern about gambling harms and urged the council to remain vigilant in its approach to gambling regulation. She stated, it is something that's very dear to my heart. So for officers to be aware of that, but also for elected members to really keep their eyes on what gambling looks like in the borough. Councillor Guy Humphries thanked Councillor French for her service, noting that she had done an exemplary job of being fair and under difficult circumstances sometimes.

The fees themselves, detailed in Appendix 1 of the public reports pack¹, cover various application types including provisional statements, new applications, annual fees, variations, and transfers for bingo halls, adult gaming centres, and betting premises. Notably, the fee for licence transfers was proposed to be adjusted to better reflect the processing costs. No fees were proposed for casinos, as the council has maintained a no casino policy since 2007. Similarly, no fees were proposed for track betting premises licences, as no such premises have been licensed in the borough.

The meeting also included the confirmation of the minutes from the previous Licensing Committee meeting held on 8th July 2025 and a declaration that no interests were declared by members present.