Lambeth Council is set to launch a public consultation on its updated Gambling Policy for 2025-2028, while maintaining its existing ban on casinos. The Licensing Committee approved officers undertaking a seven-week online consultation on the draft policy, which outlines how the council will exercise its responsibilities under the Gambling Act 2005.

The consultation will gather feedback on the proposed Statement of Principles for Gambling, also known as the Gambling Policy, which is required to be reviewed every three years. The current policy, which expires at the end of 2025, includes a resolution against issuing casino licences, a stance the council intends to maintain. The council's decision to maintain the 'no casino' resolution reflects concerns about local factors, including high levels of deprivation and problem gambling within the borough.

A row of slot machines in a casino.
A row of slot machines in a casino.

According to the report pack, 20% of areas in Lambeth are among the most deprived in England, and nearly 70% are in the 40% most deprived. GambleAware estimates that 1 in 6 people in Lambeth have a PGSI score of 1 or more, indicating some level of gambling-related harm. The draft policy also incorporates new public health data around gambling-related harms as an appendix, providing further context around the local area and potential impact. Specifically, the data is included in Appendix 5 of the new draft Policy, titled 'Public Health: Gambling Harms Evidence Review – A Summary (January 2025))'. Applicants should refer to Appendix 5 when completing risk assessments.

The draft policy includes several updates, including:

  • Expanding on existing policy content for clarity.
  • Updating the Local Area Profile to reflect ward boundary changes from 2022.
  • Revising the Gambling Vulnerability Zones for the borough.
  • Reducing the number of Gambling Clusters from seven to five.
  • Incorporating new public health data around gambling-related harms as an appendix.
  • Including suggested templates for risk assessments.
  • Adding pointers from the Metropolitan Police Service around effective management and crime prevention. A proposed new Appendix 6 provides pointers from the Metropolitan Police Service to applicants and existing premises around effective management and crime prevention, although the specific measures are not detailed in the report.

The five proposed gambling clusters are:

  1. Waterloo and South Bank
  2. Clapham High Street
  3. Central Brixton
  4. Streatham Hill
  5. St Leonard's

Map of Lambeth showing Gambling Vulnerability Zones and Clustering Areas.
Map of Lambeth showing Gambling Vulnerability Zones and Clustering Areas.
Map of Lambeth showing Gambling Vulnerability Zones and Clustering Areas.

The council's decision to maintain the 'no casino' resolution reflects concerns about local factors, including high levels of deprivation and problem gambling within the borough. According to the report pack, 20% of areas in Lambeth are among the most deprived in England, and nearly 70% are in the 40% most deprived.

Map of Lambeth showing percentage of vulnerable people by area.
Map of Lambeth showing percentage of vulnerable people by area.
Map of Lambeth showing percentage of vulnerable people by area.

GambleAware estimates that 1 in 6 people in Lambeth have a PGSI score of 1 or more (15.6%), compared to 13.4% across Great Britain. GambleAware data from 2022 estimates that 1 in 22 people in Lambeth have a PGSI score of 8+, which classifies them as 'problem gamblers' – that's 4.6% compared to the GB figure of 2.9%. 71.7% of 'problem gamblers' in Lambeth are accessing treatment, support or advice (compared to 65.5% across GB).

The report pack stated that the 'no casinos' resolution had been made with careful consideration of local factors including:

  • 20% of the areas in the borough are located in the most deprived areas in England, and nearly 70% are in the 40% most deprived areas in England.
  • There has been a significant rise in online gambling over the last decade, but a substantial number of people continue to participate in land-based gambling.
  • GambleAware estimate that 1 in 6 people in Lambeth have a PGSI score of 1 or more (15.6%), compared to 13.4% across Great Britain.
  • GambleAware data from 2022 estimates that 1 in 22 people in Lambeth have a PGSI score of 8+, which classifies them as 'problem gamblers' – that's 4.6% compared to the GB figure of 2.9%.
  • 71.7% of 'problem gamblers' in Lambeth are accessing treatment, support or advice (compared to 65.5% across GB).

The meeting information states that the Gambling Clusters have been reduced from seven to five, but it does not provide the rationale behind this reduction or discuss the impact on monitoring and regulation.

The consultation aims to gather feedback from residents, gambling businesses, and other stakeholders. Following the consultation, a further report will be presented to the Licensing Committee, Equity and Justice Board, and Cabinet in November 2025, outlining the consultation findings and any proposed amendments to the policy.

The Licensing Committee meeting agenda and reports pack can be found on the council website.