In an unprecedented move, the Gambling Commission has revoked a popular high street operator’s license for self-exclusion issues. Nick Arron, partner at legal experts Poppleston Allen, talks Coinslot through the case

On 22 May 2025, the Gambling Commission suspended an AGC’s operating licence for failing to participate in the multi-operator self-exclusion scheme and for failing to have a complaints and dispute process in place at its venue. Suspension of AGC licenses by the Commission is highly unusual, and this move certainly demonstrates the Commission’s increasing focus on high street venues. 

Wyke Gaming and Amusement Centre (Wyke GAC) in Bradford had its licence suspended with immediate effect. Provision 3.5.6 of the Social Responsibility Code states that licensees must offer customers with whom they enter into a self-exclusion agreement the ability to self-exclude from facilities for the same kind, by participating in one or more multi-operator self-exclusion schemes. 

Wyke GAC did not participate in a multi-operator self-exclusion scheme, and were therefore in breach of the Code Provision, leading to the suspension of the operating licence. 

This means that any customer who self-excluded at Wyke GAC would have been unable to then exclude from other similar venues – and this failure to protect at-risk or problem gamblers led to the Commission to take the unprecedented action of suspending the operating licence. 

BACTA, IHL and the Bingo Association all run high street gaming multi-operator self-exclusion schemes which are available to licensees. 

Closing the divide between digital and land-based

The Commission has suspended online operators’ licences in similar circumstances, but in most cases, this has been for online operators. 

In early 2020, the Commission suspended the remote operating licences of Dynamic (trading as Prophet and Sportito) for failure to fully integrate with the online multi-operator self-exclusion scheme GAMSTOP, and instigated reviews under section 116 of the Gambling Act. 

In July 2021, PlayerFT Ltd had its licence suspended in similar circumstances; and in November 2022, the Commission suspended the licence of LEBOM Limited.

But the suspension of Wyke GAC is a rare example of a land-based operator having its operating licence suspended. 

Wyke GAC also failed to have arrangements in place to be able to refer any dispute to an alternative dispute resolution (‘ADR’) entity, such as the ADR group, Pegasus ADR service, CEDR, or IBAS.

The mandatory Social Responsibility Code provision 6.1.1. of the LCCP requires licensees to have arrangements in place for customers to be able to refer any dispute to an ADR entity in a timely manner, if not resolved to the customer’s satisfaction by use of their complaints procedure within eight weeks of receiving the complaint, and where the customer cooperates with the complaints process in a timely manner. 

And finally, Wyke GAC also failed to adhere to the 80/20 rule regarding Category B gaming machines within the venue, as required by section 172(1) of the Gambling Act 2005, which sets out that Category B gaming machines must not exceed 20 per cent of the total number of gaming machines which are available for use on the premises. 

The lessons from this for any land-based operator is to make sure that compliance with these codes is adhered to and that player protection and dispute resolution provisions are firmly in place.