🎲 Royal Mencap Society

This organisation is a United Kingdom charity that also acts as a non-commercial gambling operator for fundraising purposes. It is primarily known for providing services and advocacy for people with learning disabilities, and holds an active operating licence from the Gambling Commission to conduct limited, land‑based gambling activities in support of its charitable work.

The charity was founded in 1946 by Judy Fryd as the National Association of Parents of Backwards Children, formed by families seeking better support for children with learning disabilities. The name was changed in 1955 to the National Society for Mentally Handicapped Children, and later expanded to include adults. Following the grant of royal patronage, it became the Royal Society for Mentally Handicapped Children and Adults in 1981. The shorter name “Mencap” came into common use from 1969, and in 2002 the organisation adopted the legal name Royal Mencap Society.

It is constituted as a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity, without a commercial parent company. Its activities include supported living, social care, employment and training support, and campaigning on disability policy, alongside fundraising activities that may involve licensed gambling products.

Licensing and Operations

This charity holds a Gambling Commission operating licence in Great Britain. The licence is a non-remote operating licence, authorising land‑based gambling activities. As a charity, its use of this licence is associated with fundraising and ancillary activities rather than commercial consumer gambling at scale.

Non-remote operating licences for charities typically cover activities such as the provision of gaming machines in qualifying premises or the promotion of society lotteries and similar products, subject to statutory and regulatory limits. The available public information indicates that this organisation’s licensed gambling activities are conducted on a non-remote basis and are linked to its broader fundraising operations, rather than to the operation of online gambling sites or large commercial gambling venues.

The Gambling Commission lists the licence as active. There is no publicly available indication that the operating licence has been surrendered, revoked, or allowed to lapse. No remote (online) operating licences are associated with the charity, and there is no evidence that it operates remote casino, betting, or bingo products.

Regulatory History

Publicly available sources and the Gambling Commission’s register do not record any formal regulatory enforcement actions against this licence holder, such as fines, regulatory settlements, suspensions, or licence revocations, in relation to its gambling activities.

Any routine regulatory engagement, such as standard compliance assessments or reporting requirements that apply to all licensees, is not generally published in detail. As of the latest available information, the organisation continues to hold an active operating licence without recorded sanctions specific to its gambling operations.