Casino nights are big business. They’re popular for all sorts of events and occasions. But if you’re a UK resident, you have to abide by the Gambling Act of 2005, so make sure you know what it says before putting on your night.
At its most basic level, the act establishes that gambling is only allowed to be hosted by licensed proprietors via remote technologies (television and the internet being the main examples) and/or on licensed premises. The act also set up the Gambling Commission of Great Britain to regulate the gambling industry.
So do you need to know? Well, if you’re going to put on a gambling night for your corporate event, party or fundraiser, you must not use real money outside of a casino or other licensed premises. Under 18s are also prohibited from gambling under any circumstances.
With this in mind, so-called ‘Fun Casinos’ can be a lot more appropriate. They can be booked for any event and offer the advantages of no age restriction, and a reduced pressure environment meaning your guests may even have a better time. Fun casinos only use fake money, everyone gets to play the games, but no one loses. Most companies offering ‘Fun Casinos’ will provide everything for you, including croupiers, games, themes and entertainment. For a full list of services for themes for parties see: partycasinohire.co.uk
If you’re putting on a casino night for a fundraiser, you will most likely have sold tickets to the event and want to offer some sort of incentive for your guests having bought them. Since the chips at a fun casino night cannot be exchanged for real money, a good idea is to give out prizes to the winners in place of the money they would have won playing roulette. Be careful not to spend all the ticket money on prizes though – it is meant to be for charity after all!
If you are outside of England, Scotland and Wales then the Gambling Act (2005) doesn’t apply to you. However, this type of gambling legislation is very common, so make sure you know what the law is in your area before putting on your night.
For UK residents, more details on this act can be found in the government’s explanatory notes at: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2005/en/ukpgaen_20050019_en_1.htm
For more fun casino party ideas visit the London based company: casino hire for weddings.
