The Gambling Commission has called on councils to keep 'talking to us' as the deadline for new legislation approaches.
Speaking at the LGA conference in Birmingham, the Commission's policy development manager, Sue Rossiter said they wanted to establish a good working relationship with councils and other regulatory authorities in the build up to 1 September, when the Gambling Act 2005 comes into force.
'We need to establish and maintain good information exchange mechanisms and a good working relationship,' she said.
She said the 2005 Act will give councils more powers, like the right to enter licensed premises and the ability to initiate a review of a licence.
The objectives of the Act, she added, were to keep gambling crime free and to ensure that children and vulnerable people are not being harmed.
