Britain`s drunkenness and disorder laws stem from the Metropolitan Police Act of 1839, which states that “drunkards guilty of incendiary or indecent conduct may be imprisoned. Coin-operated amusement machines that offer gambling are subject to gambling legislation. In accordance with the provisions of the Gambling Act, in the UK you can provide up to two slot machines on your premises (Category C and/or Category D machines). You must inform your local licensing authority that you intend to deploy a maximum of two computers. If you wish to supply more than two machines, you will need to apply to your local licensing authority for a slot machine license. In Northern Ireland, your liquor certificate entitles you to a number of slot machines. The licensing authority decides how many you can have when granting the license. More information on gambling legislation in the UK can be found on the Gambling Commission`s website. Visit the Department of the Communities website for information on gambling laws in Northern Ireland. On 10 July 2003, the Licensing Act 2003 received Royal Assent and replaced the previous Licensing Acts for England and Wales, which were governed by several different Statutes, with a single system covering a range of “regulated activities”.

Rules on when companies can open, how long and according to what criteria are no longer set by law, but are included individually for premises and in the conditions of each permanent establishment license. The powers of the 2003 Act entered into full force on 24 November 2005. In the UK, a transaction`s status as “unlicensed” status could once be used as a way to circumvent restrictive trade laws, particularly those on Sunday trade. According to local statutes, shops must either close once a week at 12:00 p.m. or not trade in the evening. Shops with an off-license made their opening hours similar to those of hostels that were open during the lunch break and from the early evening until the mandatory closing time, usually 22:30 or 23:00. The Sunday Trading Act 1994 exempted liquor stores (and all businesses selling alcohol) from its effects. [5] The mandatory closing time of licensed liquor stores is instead regulated by the Licensing Act, 2003.

[6] War restrictions in Scotland were not lifted until 1976. As a result, Scottish laws were generally less restrictive, as local authorities were allowed to set opening hours. Most Scottish pubs are now open until midnight, although this is not universal. Specialty stores, convenience stores, supermarket parties or attached to bars and pubs are usually unlicensed stores. Prices are usually significantly lower than those of bars or pubs. For more information on alcohol laws, see the Government`s Licensing Act 2003 page. During the 19th century, licensing laws began to restrict the opening hours of premises. The Sunday Closing (Wales) Act 1881 required all inns in Wales to close on Sundays. The UK`s Liquor Licensing Acts govern the sale and consumption of alcohol, with separate laws for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland passed by the British Parliament, the Senedd in Wales, the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Scottish Parliament if necessary. After the outbreak of the First World War, the Kingdom Defence Act was passed by Parliament in 1914. One section of the law dealt with the hours at which pubs could sell alcohol, as it was believed that alcohol consumption would interfere with the war effort. [2] It limited the opening hours of the authorized establishments to lunch (11:00 or 12:00 to 14:40 or 15:00, depending on the region) and dinner (17:30 or 18:30 to 22:30).

In the late 1980s, licensing laws in England and Wales became less restrictive and allowed pubs to allow on-site drinking from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.[2], although nightclubs were allowed to remain open much later. In November 2005, significantly revised rules were introduced when time limits were abolished and pubs were allowed to apply for permissive licenses such as “24 hours a day”. [3] In practice, most pubs have chosen not to apply for a licence after midnight. Scotland had separate licensing laws from the eighteenth century onwards. The current legislation is the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005, which replaced the Licensing (Scotland) Act 1976 on 1 September 2009. [8] The superseded licensing laws provided for seven types of liquor licences and were administered by licensing bodies composed of council members elected to the local authority.