Government scraps 'aim to permit' rule as premises numbers decline

The UK government has scrapped the 'aim to permit' clause that formed a key principle of gambling premises licensing. This change follows sustained political pressure from local authorities, who argued the rule hindered their ability to control the number of gambling venues and address associated harms.

Contradictory data

The campaign for the change was led by the north-west London borough of Brent, which has the second-highest number of gambling premises in the capital. However, an examination of the borough's own licensing activity shows a different picture from one of proliferation. Brent council has not granted a licence for a new betting shop in 13 years, and only three adult gaming centres (AGCs) have opened in the borough within the last five years. Furthermore, the number of gambling premises in Brent has seen a net decrease, falling from 83 declared in January 2025 to a current total of 75.

This local trend reflects a long-term national decline in the land-based sector. According to Gambling Commission data, the number of betting shops in Great Britain fell from a peak of 9,128 in 2012 to 5,789 in 2025. The number of AGCs has also dropped, from a high of 2,247 in 2012 to 1,415 in 2025, having previously fallen to 1,464 in 2019.

The contraction of the retail market is set to continue, with major operators Betfred and Evoke having recently announced plans to close hundreds more stores. The slow pace of new openings was highlighted by Greg Knight, CEO and owner of UK betting operator JenningsBet, who stated the brand opened just four new shops nationally last year.

Questions over enforcement

The successful lobbying effort for greater powers has also drawn attention to how councils use their existing regulatory tools. It has emerged that eight of the local authorities that signed Brent Council’s letter to the government did not carry out a single gambling premise inspection during the 2025/2026 financial year. Nationally, 124 of Britain's 350 licensing authorities conducted no gambling licence inspections at all during the last tax year.

The decision to remove the 'aim to permit' principle also comes shortly after councils were granted new tools to manage gambling at a local level. Gambling Impact Assessments (GIAs) were introduced as new statutory powers through a devolution bill passed in April of this year, giving authorities another mechanism to assess the potential effect of new premises.