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Part VE+W+S General

51 Search warrants.E+W+S

(1)If a justice of the peace is satisfied on information on oath that there is reasonable ground for suspecting that an offence under this Act is being, has been or is about to be committed on any premises, he may issue a warrant in writing authorising any constable to enter those premises, if necessary by force, [F1at any time within fourteen days from the time of the issue of the warrant] and search them; and any constable who enters the premises under the authority of the warrant may—

(a)seize and remove any document, money or valuable thing, instrument or other thing whatsoever found on the premises which he has reasonable cause to believe may be required as evidence for the purposes of proceedings in respect of any such offence; and

(b)[F1arrest and] search any person found on the premises whom he has reasonable cause to believe to be commmitting or to have committed any such offence.

(2)In its application to Scotland the foregoing subsection shall have effect as if for the reference to a justice of the peace there were substituted a reference to the sheriff or a magistrate or justice of the peace having jurisdiction in the place where the premises are situated.

Textual Amendments

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1S. 51 modified (E.W.) (prosp.) by 2001 c. 16, ss. 55, 68, 138(2), Sch. 1 Pt. III para. 89 (with s. 57(3))

C2S. 51(1) powers of seizure extended (E.W.) (prosp.) by 2001 c. 16, ss. 50, 52-54, 68, 138(2), Sch. 1 Pt. I para. 6

52 Penalties and forfeitures.E+W+S

(1)A person guilty of an offence under any of the following provisions of this Act, that is to say, sections 1(1), 2(1), 4, 5, 6, 16, 32(4) . . . F2 paragraph 29 of Schedule 2 and paragraph 17 of Schedule 5, shall be liable—

(a)on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding one hundred pounds or, in the case of a second or any subsequent conviction for an offence under the same provision, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months or to a fine not exceeding two hundred pounds or to both; or

(b)on conviction on indictment, to a fine not exceeding five hundred pounds or, in the case of a second or any subsequent conviction for an offence under the same provision, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or to a fine not exceeding seven hundred and fifty pounds or to both.

(1A). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F3

(2)A person guilty of an offence under any provision of this Act not mentioned in the foregoing subsection, being a provision which does not specify any other penalty, shall be liable—

[F4(a)on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds or, in the case of a second or any subsequent conviction for an offence under the same provision, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two months or to a fine not exceeding one hundred pounds or to both; or

(b)on conviction on indictment, to a fine not exceeding three hundred pounds or, in the case of a second or any subsequent conviction for an offence under the same provision, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to a fine not exceeding five hundred pounds or to both.]

[F4on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding [F5level 5 on the standard scale] or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to both]

(3)Subject to section 8(3) of this Act for the purposes of any provision of this Act with respect to a second or subsequent c0onviction, a conviction for an offence under any provision repealed by this Act shall be deemed to have been a conviction for the like offence under the corresponding provision of this Act.

(4)The court by or before whom a person is convicted of any offence under this Act may order anything produced to the court and shown to the satisfaction of the court to relate to the offence to be forfeited and either destroyed or dealt with in such other manner as the court may order.

Textual Amendments

F4Words from “on summary” to “both” substituted for paras. (a)(b) (E.W.) by Criminal Law Act 1977 (c. 45, SIF 39:1), s. 30, Sch. 1 para. 17 and (S.) by Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1975 (c. 21, SIF 39:1), s. 289A, Sch. 7A para. 13 and amendment continued (S.) (1.4.1996) by 1995 c. 40, ss. 3, 7(2), Sch. 1 para. 1, Sch. 2 Pt. I

53 Offences by bodies corporate.E+W+S

(1)Where an offence under this Act committed by a body corporate is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of, or to have been attributable to any neglect on the part of, any director, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the body corporate or any person who was purporting to act in any such capacity, he, as well as the body corporate, shall be guilty of that offence and be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.

(2)In the foregoing subsection, the expression “director”, in relation to a body corporate established by or under any enactment for the purpose of carrying on under national ownership any industry of part of an industry or undertaking, being a body corporate whose affairs are managed by its members, means a member of that body corporate.

54. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F6E+W+S

Textual Amendments

55 Interpretation, etc.—general. E+W+S

(1)In this Act, except where the context otherwise requires, the following expressions have the following meanings respectively, that is to say—

(2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F13

(3). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F14

(4). . . F15 the M2Statutory Instruments Act 1946 shall apply to any instrument made in pursuance. . . F15 of the power conferred on the Lord President of the Court of Session by section 29(3) of this Act in like manner as if that power had been conferred on a Minister of the Crown.

(5)Save where the context otherwise requires, any reference in this Act to any enactment shall be constured as a reference to that enactment as amended by or under any other enactment.

Textual Amendments

F9Definition substituted by Gaming Act 1968 (c. 65), Sch. 11 Pt. I

F10Definition of “newspaper” repealed by Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976 (c. 32), Sch. 5

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C3Functions of Board of Trade now exercisable by Secretary of State concurrently with Board of Trade: S.I. 1970/1537

Marginal Citations

56 Consequential amendments in other Acts.E+W+S

(1). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F16

(2)(3). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F17

57 Repeals and savings.E+W+S

(1). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F18

(2)Where any provision contained in any local Act passed before the M3Betting and Gaming Act 1960 appears to the Secretary of State to have been superseded by, or to be inconsistent with, any enactment contained in this Act, being an enactment corresponding to any enactment in the said Act of 1960 which is repealed by this Act, the Secretary of State may by order made by statutory instrument, a draft of which shall be laid before Parliament, specify that provision for the purposes of this subsection; and, without prejudice to the operation in the meantime of any rule of law relating to the effect on any such provision of any such enactment, any provision so specified is hereby repealed as from the date of the making of the order.

(3)Any regulation, licence, permit, register or other instrument or document whatsoever made, issued or kept, and any other thing done, under or by virtue of any of the enactments repealed by this Act shall be deemed for the purposes of this Act to have been made or issued, to be kept, or to have been done, as the case may be, under the corresponding provision of this Act; and anything begun under any of the said enactments may be continued under this Act as if begun under this Act.

(4)So much of any enactment or document as refers expressly or by implication to any enactment repealed by this Act shall, if and so far as the context permits, be construed as referring to this Act or the corresponding enactment therein.

(5)Nothing in this section . . . F19 shall be taken as affecting the general application of section 38 of the M4Interpretation Act 1889 with regard to the effect of repeals.

58 Short title, extent and commencement.E+W+S

(1)This Act may be cited as the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Act 1963.

(2)This Act shall not extend to Northern Ireland.

(3)This Act shall come into force at the expiration of the period of one month beginning with the day on which it is passed.