With the United States stealing the headlines as they look to clamp down on gambling activity by their citizens, the UK Gambling Commission has finally started to show that they do really exist and aren’t just a myth, issuing their first 3 cautions surrounding illegal gambling within public houses.

The cautions have been given to three men who were caught playing poker for stakes that exceeded the allowance that the government has placed onto gambling within pubs, currently set to a maximum of £5 per head and up to a total of £100 prize pool per day per venue.

Two men who were aged 35 and 56 were issued cautions for their involvement in the game that saw stakes reaching more than the allowance that has been set, the third man was the 50 year old who allowed the game to take place.

The commission’s arguement surrounding the giving of these cautions is that the players could have taken part in a poker game that met the restrictions for gambling within a pub environment as set out within the Gambling Act 2005.

The reference that the commission was referring to was a number of small poker leagues that take place within a number of pubs around the United Kingdom that are regulated and meet all the requirements that the Gambling Act has in place.

A scheme is in place which the government sending out guidelines for the landlords to refer to in order to offer the game within their venue within the legislation and avoiding the chances of fines and prosecution.

The investigation was conducted by the Cheshire Police force and with their help they have been able to keep a close on actions that have been happening within the area, a spokesman for the police force saying “This innovative investigation between the partner agencies in Halton clearly shows our joint commitment to improving licensing standards. Those that would wish to unlawfully commit gambling offences will be dealt with robustly by The Safer Halton Partnership.”

Tags: illegal gambling within public houses, UK Gambling Commission, UK Gamling Laws, UK Poker News

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