Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Act 1963

27 Bookmakers' levy schemes

(1) The contributions such as are mentioned in section 24 (1) of this Act to be made by bookmakers shall be paid by way of a levy in respect of each levy period in accordance with a scheme having effect for that period under this section ; and in this Act the expression " levy period " means a period of twelve months beginning with 1st April in any year.

(2) Any such scheme shall include provision—

(a) for securing that the levy shall be payable only by a bookmaker who carries on on his own account a business which includes the effecting of betting transactions on horse races, and only in respect of so much of the business of the bookmaker as relates to such betting transactions;

(b) for bookmakers to be divided for the purposes of the levy into different categories ;

(c) for the amount, if any, payable by way of the levy by any particular bookmaker to be determined by reference to the category into which he falls ;

(d) as to the method of the promulgation of the scheme by the Levy Board;

(e) for the submission to the Levy Board by each bookmaker before a specified date of a declaration as to the category into which he falls ;

(f) for the issue by the Levy Board of notices of assessment to, and certificates of exemption from, the levy.

(3) Not later than such date before the beginning of any levy period as the Levy Board may determine, the Bookmakers' Committee shall make recommendations to the Levy Board with respect to the scheme to have effect under this section for that period, and those recommendations shall take the form either of a draft scheme or of a recommendation that the current scheme shall continue to have effect without amendment or with specified amendments.

(4) If the Levy Board approve the recommendations aforesaid, or those recommendations as revised by the Bookmakers' Committee in the light of any observations thereon made to the committee by the Board, the scheme so recommended and approved shall have effect accordingly for the levy period in question.

(5) If the Levy Board do not approve the recommendations or any revised recommendations of the Bookmakers' Committee, or if by the date specified under subsection (3) of this section no recommendations have been received by the Board from the committee, the three persons for the time being appointed to be members of the Board by the Secretary of State shall consider and compare—

(a) the extent of the need for the time being for contributions for such purposes as are specified in section 24(1) of this Act;

(b) the capacity for the time being of bookmakers to make contributions for such purposes; and

(c) the capacity for the time being of the Totalisator Board to make such contributions,

and, in the light of that consideration and comparison, make their own determination as to the scheme to have effect under this section for the levy period in question, which may take the form either of a new scheme or of a direction that the current scheme shall continue to have effect without amendment or with specified amendments; and the scheme so determined shall have effect accordingly for that period.