To appoint a Chairman for the duration of the meeting.

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That Cllr Bicknell be appointed Chairman for the duration of the meeting.

To receive any apologies for absence.

There were no apologies for absence.

To receive any declarations of interest.

There were no declarations of interest.

To consider an application to vary a Licensed Premises Machine Permit for J.D. Weatherspoon PLC, King & Castle, 15 – 16 Thames Street, Windsor SL4 1PL.

(Castle Without Ward)

The Chairman welcomed all the parties to the meeting, introduced the Sub-Committee Members and explained the procedure, which all indicated they understood.

Licensing Officer

The Council’s Licensing Officer introduced the application for Members to consider.  He explained that the application was to vary a Licensed Premises Gaming Machine Permit, under the Gambling Act 2005, at the King and Castle, 15-16 Thames Street, Windsor.

The Licensing Officer explained that the Council’s policy was to delegate authority to Officers to issue permits for up to four machines. For more than this, applications were referred to the Sub-Committee.

The Licensing Officer explained that the King and Castle currently has five Category C gaming machines and the application was for a sixth to be added. It was explained that Category C machines has a maximum stake payment of £1 and a maximum prize payout of £70.

The Licensing Officer explained that the premises was very large and had a capacity of 1,250 people. The Licensing Officer circulated a photo to Members of the proposed location of the new machine taken from the bar area, which would show staff’s line of sight.

Members were told that no objections to the application had been received and the licensing team had experienced no problems with the premises, either from a licensing or gambling perspective. The Licensing Officer informed the Sub-Committee that they must have regard to the four Licensing Objectives and the Council’s policy. He informed the Sub-Committee that the options open to them were to either allow or refuse the whole of the application. 

Questions to the Licensing Officer

The Licensing Officer was asked what constituted an issue with gambling. He explained this was in relation to underage gambling, but added that no reports or concerns had been raised with the licensing team in relation to this.

The Licensing Officer was asked if there were any regulations connected to protection of adults in relation to gambling. He explained there was only guidance in relation to this. He stated that the newest machines were programmed to have in-built prompts and messages about gambling awareness. The Licensing Officer added that the machine would be in clear sight of the bar so staff would have a clear view of customers using the machine.

Applicant’s case

Mr Parrish, the area manager for Wetherspoons, explained that the application was for a new Category C machine to be installed in place of another machine of a different category. He explained that the machine to be removed was a quiz machine, the usage of which had decreased in popularity over time. It was explained to the Sub-Committee that no permit was required for the machine currently in situ. Mr Parrish said there were 30 games available to users of the new machine and confirmed that the maximum stakes and prize payouts were those that had been outlined previously by the Licensing Officer.

Mr Parrish told the Sub-Committee that Wetherspoons operated a strict Challenge 21 Policy, and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19.