Betting and Gaming Act 1960

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Betting and Gaming Act 1960
Act of Parliament
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (variant 1, 1952-2022).svg
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title An Act to amend the law with respect to betting and gaming and to make certain other amendments with a view to securing consistency and uniformity in, and facilitating the consolidation of, the said law and the law with respect to lotteries; and for purposes connected with the matters aforesaid.
Citation 8 & 9 Eliz. 2. c. 60
Dates
Royal assent 29 July 1960
Commencement 1 January 1961
Other legislation
Repeals/revokes
Repealed by
Relates to Gaming Act 1968
Status: Repealed
Records of Parliamentary debate relating to the statute from Hansard

The Betting and Gaming Act 1960 (8 & 9 Eliz. 2. c. 60) was a British Act of Parliament that legalised additional forms of gambling in the United Kingdom. It was passed on 1 September 1960 and came into effect on 1 January 1961. [1]

Contents

The act

Based on the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Betting, Lotteries and Gaming, 1949–51, [2] the act came into force on 1 January 1961 and first allowed gambling for small sums in games of skill such as bridge. [3] From May 1961 betting shops were allowed to open. [4]

Until 1965 about 16,000 licences were granted by local magistrates. [5]

Aim

The aim was to take gambling off the street and end the practice of runners (employed by bookmakers) collecting from punters, a move welcomed by the clergy. Fines would be imposed at a later date on any street gambling. [1]

Consequences

The opening of betting shops affected the greyhound racing industry in the United Kingdom with attendances suffering throughout Britain. From 1961–1969 there were 21 National Greyhound Racing Club (NGRC) registered track closures [6] and many independent (unaffiliated to a governing body) track closures. The act is regarded as one of the primary reasons for the decline of greyhound racing with 91 NGRC track closures alone recorded from 1960–2010. [7]

See also

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The history of gambling in the United Kingdom goes back centuries, as do efforts to deplore it, and regulate it.

References

  1. 1 2 "1960: Game on for British betting shops". BBC News.
  2. ↑ "The Betting and Gaming Act, 1960". Journal of Criminal Law . 25 (2): 149–55. 1961. doi:10.1177/002201836102500209.
  3. ↑ "On this day: 1 September 1960 Game on for British betting shops". BBC News Online . 1 September 2008. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  4. ↑ Stan Hey (5 April 2008). "Our national love affair: a history of the betting shop". The Independent . Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  5. ↑ Rock, Graham (29 April 2001). "Past, present and future of legal betting". the Guardian. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  6. ↑ Genders, Roy (1981). The Encyclopedia of Greyhound Racing. Pelham Books Ltd. ISBN   07207-1106-1.
  7. ↑ Hobbs, Jonathan (2007). Greyhound Annual 2008. Raceform. ISBN   978-1-905153-53-4.


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