The Licensing Sub Committee D of Hackney Council was scheduled to consider an application for a betting premises licence for Jenningsbet at 157 Stoke Newington High Street, London N16 0NY. The committee was also scheduled to discuss the procedure for licensing sub-committee hearings.

Application for a Betting Premises Licence: Jenningsbet, 157 Stoke Newington High Street, London N16 0NY

The committee was scheduled to consider an application for a new betting premises licence for Jenningsbet, located at 157 Stoke Newington High Street, London N16 0NY. This site previously operated as a betting office under Ladbrokes until its licence was surrendered in March 2024.

The application was made by Jenningsbet, described as one of the oldest independent bookmakers in the UK, with a history dating back to the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Act 1963. The company currently operates over 180 betting premises across England. The report pack indicated that Jenningsbet has a comprehensive set of policies and procedures in place, approved by the Gambling Commission, covering areas such as social responsibility, customer interaction, anti-money laundering, and counter-terrorist financing. These policies are detailed in documents such as the Jenningsbet Operating Strategy, Stoke Newington and the Local Area Risk Assessment ¹.

Representations were received from several parties. The Environmental Health Authority, Gambling Commission, HM Revenue & Customs, Planning Authority, Area Child Protection Officer, Fire Authority, and the Police had no representations to make. However, an observation was submitted by David Tuitt, Business Regulation Team Leader for Hackney Council, noting that the site previously operated as Ladbrokes and that the applicant had assessed local risks, providing details on staff training and in-store security. This observation did not object to the application.

Four representations were received from local residents. These objections primarily focused on the number of existing gambling and betting establishments in the vicinity, with concerns raised about the impact on the high street's recovery following recent structural issues and the potential for gambling addiction. One resident also suggested that the council should encourage businesses with more positive societal benefits.

The report pack outlined the statutory considerations under the Gambling Act 2005, which requires licensing authorities to aim to permit gambling premises provided they are in accordance with relevant codes of practice, guidance, and the council's Statement of Licensing Principles, while promoting the licensing objectives. The report also detailed relevant local considerations, including policies such as GLP1 (Assessing local risk) and GLP10 (Betting premises) from Hackney's Statement of Licensing Principles².

The officer's observations suggested that if the application were to be approved, a series of conditions should be attached to the licence. These included standard conditions for all premises licences, mandatory conditions under the Gambling Act 2005, and default conditions for betting premises licences. These conditions cover aspects such as not operating on Christmas Day, displaying licence summaries, maintaining the premises layout, restrictions on lottery ticket sales, and limitations on the acceptance of pool bets. Mandatory conditions also include displaying a notice prohibiting entry for under-18s, restricting direct access to other retail premises, and specifying permitted uses of the premises. Default conditions include restrictions on operating hours, with no facilities for gambling between 10pm and 7am.

The report pack also included detailed information on Jenningsbet's operational strategy, including their approach to responsible gambling, customer interaction, money laundering and terrorist funding prevention, and crime and anti-social behaviour. It highlighted extensive staff training programmes, including partnerships with organisations like BetKnowMore and YGAM, and detailed site-specific control measures such as CCTV, alarm systems, and security screens. The proposed operating hours were noted as not exceeding the default hours allowed by legislation.