The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport has launched a consultation seeking views on increases to Gambling Commission fees.
The proposed increases are substantial. The annual fees for non-remote and remote society lottery licences would increase by at least 15%. The justification given for the proposed increase in fees is the new challenges in regulation to which the Gambling Commission must adapt, such as technological developments and risks associated with black market operators.
Most significantly for charities, the proposals include introducing new higher fee bands for society lottery licences. Currently, the highest fee category covers any amount of annual proceeds greater than £500,000. Following the increase in the limit on proceeds from £10 million to £50 million, higher fee bands would be introduced for societies whose annual proceeds are in excess of £10 million. These new fee bands would apply to both the non-remote and remote society lottery licences. Therefore for any society lottery making use of the new increased limits, the fee increase will be much greater than 15%. The proposed fee for annual proceeds of £10m to £20m is £3,350, rising to £8,350 for annual proceeds of £30m to £50m.
