With the recent high-profile acquisition of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) by Netflix, the world of sports entertainment has seen a resurgence in professional wrestling this year. As a result, licensed premises throughout Scotland may consider showing late-night premium live events as part of their usual sports programming.
As the annual WWE Money in the Bank and SummerSlam events are just around the corner, our team have been considering the implications that showing these events and others of their kind may have on premises licence holders who are not currently permitted to show televised sport.
What is "televised sport" for Licensing purposes?
To show a sporting event on television within a licensed premises, the licence holder must have "televised sport" included as an activity in their operating plan. Unfortunately for licence holders and licensing practitioners alike, there is no set definition of "televised sport" for the purposes of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005.
While it would be obvious that competitive activities such as football and rugby are undoubtedly classed as sports, scripted athletic events with pre-determined outcomes like professional wrestling sit in a grey area. It is widely acknowledged that the competitive element of professional wrestling is for show only, with the outcome of almost all matches determined in advance. In addition, wrestling is the only form of athletics which many bookmakers will not take bets on due to its "fixed" nature. This raises the question: if professional wrestling is not strictly a sport, can a premises without televised sport on their licence put on a televised wrestling event?
With no definitive answer on this point, a decision on whether a venue which is otherwise unlicensed for televised sport can show wrestling events can often come down to the interpretation of the Licensing Standards Officer for the relevant Licensing Board area. As the legislation is silent on how this can be resolved, licence holders may have questions on the permissions which should be in place to ensure their showing of a televised sporting event goes smoothly.
To avoid any unnecessary confusion, licence holders intending to show professional wrestling should ensure they have televised sport listed on their operating plan, just as they would do for conventional sports. As sporting events can often take place outwith licensed hours, it is important to check your operating plan to ensure this is permitted both within and outwith licensed hours where required.
Such an application would be made by way of Major Variation to the existing premises licence, which would require to be determined at a hearing of the Licensing Board. Each application is decided on its own merits, and there is no guarantee of the grant, but securing the grant for this application will ensure televised sport of any kind can be shown on the premises.
This will have the added benefit of allowing licence holders to apply for an extended hours licence for events which traditionally run late into the wee hours, such as the annual Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania events.
If you require assistance in applying for televised sports, our dedicated licensing specialists are here to help. We understand that every business faces unique challenges, and we are committed to understanding yours. Contact our specialists today at 0141 333 0636 or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
