Business guidance
Rules, requirements and how-tos for running your business — organised by topic, with industry-specific guidance on the sector pages.
Guidance for sports & leisure
Show all guidanceAge verification for online services
How to implement age verification to comply with the Online Safety Act and ICO Children's Code. Covers verification methods, pornography requirements, privacy considerations, and gaming/gambling rules.
Sports & LeisureGambling and betting compliance checklist
Use this checklist to confirm you have met every regulatory obligation that applies to your gambling or betting business — from workplace health and safety through to Gambling Commission licensing, premises licences, gambling duties and anti-money-laundering supervision.
Sports & LeisureGambling licensing requirements for UK businesses
How to obtain gambling licences from the Gambling Commission, including operating, personal and premises licences. Covers responsible gambling requirements, compliance obligations, and 2025 regulatory changes.
Sports & LeisureMeet your gambling licensing and regulatory duties
Providing gambling facilities in Great Britain requires a Gambling Commission operating licence, personal licences for key staff, and — if you operate physical premises — a premises licence from the local council. You must also register for and pay gambling duties to HMRC, and casinos must comply with anti-money-laundering supervision. This guide covers every sector-specific licensing and regulatory duty.
Sports & LeisureMeet your sports, amusement and recreation regulatory duties
If you serve alcohol or host regulated entertainment, operate a sports ground, run a swimming pool, coach children, operate fairground rides, offer adventure activities to young people or run gaming machines, your business carries specific licensing, certification, safeguarding or safety duties on top of the universal workplace foundation. This guide covers each regime and what you need to do.
Sports & LeisureSet up and run a safe gambling business
Whether you run a betting shop, casino, bingo hall, adult gaming centre or online gambling platform, you must manage the same workplace health and safety, fire safety, insurance, equality and data protection duties before you open. This guide walks you through each one.
Sports & LeisureSet up and run a safe sports, amusement and recreation business
Whatever sports, amusement or recreation business you operate — a gym, a swimming pool, a theme park, a fairground, an adventure centre or an amusement arcade — you must manage the same workplace health and safety, fire safety, insurance, equality and data protection duties before you open. This guide walks you through each one.
Agriculture & FarmingSet up equestrian or livery services on your farm
How to comply with VAT, licensing, and insurance requirements when offering livery, riding lessons, or equestrian facilities. Covers VAT treatment, riding establishment licensing, and specialist insurance needs.
Sports & LeisureSports, amusement and recreation compliance checklist
Use this checklist to confirm you have met every regulatory obligation that applies to your sports, amusement or recreation business — from workplace health and safety through to activity-specific licences, certificates and permits.
Sports & LeisureWhich gambling and betting regulations apply to your business
Gambling and betting businesses — bookmakers, casinos, bingo halls, adult gaming centres, online gambling operators and lottery managers — share a workplace-safety foundation, then face a heavily licensed regulatory framework under the Gambling Act 2005 and gambling duties enforced by HMRC.
Sports & LeisureWhich sports, amusement and recreation regulations apply to your business
Sports clubs, gyms, swimming pools, theme parks, fairgrounds, adventure activity providers and amusement arcades share the same workplace safety foundation, then the rules diverge by what you operate and whether your activity triggers a licence, certificate or permit.
General rules
Common requirements shown separately from guidance directly classified to this sector.
Check if you need to register for VAT
Find out if your business must register for VAT based on your taxable turnover. Covers the £90,000 threshold, what counts as taxable turnover, the rolling 12-month test, and when voluntary registration makes sense.
Business StructureMandatory registrations every business must complete
Step-by-step guide to the registrations every business must complete before trading, regardless of sector. Covers HMRC tax registration, ICO data protection fee, mandatory insurance, and pension auto-enrolment.
Premises & OperationsMeet your business waste duty of care
Understand your legal responsibilities when producing, storing, or disposing of business waste. Covers using registered waste carriers, completing waste transfer notes, and the stricter rules for hazardous waste.
Compliance & LegalPre-trading compliance checklist
A concise yes/no checklist to verify you have completed all mandatory pre-trading requirements, including business registration, tax, insurance, licences, premises approvals, and data protection.
Prefer step-by-step?
Guided journeys walk you through milestones like starting up or hiring, one task at a time.