A closer look at regulators from Alderney and Isle of Man

A large part of the online gambling industry is regulated by a small number of regions and countries, generally known as eGaming regulators. Isle of Man, Alderney and Malta are some of the most prominent examples of regions who provide this service to the online gambling industry.

We met with representatives of Alderney eGambling Ltd and the Isle of Man Government to ask them what it is, that they actually do, and how can a company license their online casino in those jurisdictions?

Director of eCommerce Development for Alderney eGambling Ltd, Robin Le Prevost, told us that the history of regulating online gambling in Alderney goes back about 12-13 years, and currently Alderney acts as the biggest hub for the online gambling industry in the world.

The process of getting a license

First of all, the background of the applier is checked, to make sure they are allowed to apply for a license. As a second step, the software is put to a rigorous test, to make sure that it is up to the high standards of regulators. The company applying for the license will then go through regular checkups. Regulators will look at the financial data from the casinos and analyze their accounting and banking procedures on a monthly basis. Once per year, a more thorough audit is also conducted.

Watch the full interview from ICE 2013 Totally Gaming

Why Alderney?

Alderney has an outstanding reputation, which is the reason the companies like NetEnt, IGT and Shuffle Master have chosen Alderney as their regulator. In addition to the impeccable reputation, Alderney also has excellent tax laws that offer gaming companies great economic conditions for conducting their daily business. When we add great technological infrastructure and fast bandwidth connections across the Atlantic and to major European cities, it becomes obvious why so many big names of the eGaming industry have chosen Alderney.

Isle of Man

Isle of Man is home to such major software companies as Playtech and Microgaming. It is also a base of operations for PokerStars, the biggest poker room in the world. According to Tim Craine, Head of eGaming for the Isle of Man Government: “Operators and software developers value the safe and tested environment provided by the Isle of Man. Another important factor is the quick and efficient application process, which will take you from zero to a licensed operator in 8-10 weeks”.

Other regulating regions that were present at ICE 2013 Totally Gaming include Malta, Gibraltar and the Kahnawake Gaming Comission in Canada. In case you plan to start your own software company, or an online casino, you need to take a look at the homepages of these organizations to figure out which one suits you best. As regular players and software users, we at Casino Daily News are certainly glad to know that the regulators keep a watchful eye on the casinos to provide player protection.