Located in the Irish Sea, The Isle of Man is a Crown Dependency of the British Monarchy, but it has an autonomous government. On a political level, it is neither a part of the United Kingdom nor of the European Union.

The Regulatory Commission on Gambling in the Isle of Man was established in 1962 and it is fully independent and devoted to defending player.

In 2001, the Government of the Isle of Man was one of the first jurisdictions in the world to introduce a specifically designed law for the benefit of gambling and e-gaming companies residing in their territory.The Government of the Isle of Man and the private sector have worked hard to ensure that the island can grant infrastructure at international level and a wide range of support services for gambling industry.

For further information on the range of business benefits and business opportunities that the Isle of Man can provide to a company, you can see the information provided by the Ministry of Economic Development.

The Gambling Supervision Commission

The Gambling Supervision Commission is a collegial body established in 1962. In addition to permits and regulations of traditional gambling (casinos, amusement parks and slot machines, lotteries and betting points), the Commission also regulates all the activities of online gambling, which have grown significantly in recent years.The key principles of the Commission are:

• Keep the gambling industry away from crime.
• Protect young people and people at risk..
• Ensure that the services offered by authorized operators are legal and that players will receive their effective prizes.

The Treasury gives resources to the Commission, which consists of a Director, a Police Officer, five Inspectors and two Secretaries of the Game, which together have over 60 years of experience in licensing, regulation and other operative aspects of gambling.

The aim of the Ministry for Economic Development regarding online gambling is to focus on a progressive jurisdiction and he interacts with other government ministries to promote the opportunities of e-commerce on the island.

Founders and developers of the software (Software Providers and Developers)

The e-gaming software business is supported by the advanced telecommunications infrastructure of the island;this infrastructure has been well renewed and it is nowadays recognized as the best infrastructure ever held by any offshore jurisdiction in the world.

The high level of expertise in global business is remarkable and it derives from direct experience in providing e-gaming solutions, supplying any service necessary to the e-Gaming industry.

These services include:

• Programming
• Multi-media specialists
• Providers of online payment services
• Disaster Recovery services and KYC services like accounting
• Banking and legal for e-Gaming
• Research in support services

e-Gaming

The Isle of Man is known as one of the most dynamic and respectable jurisdictions in the e-gaming industry and is in the e-gaming "white list" in the United Kingdom. The island is a jurisdiction with many excellent legal, accounting and trust companies able to reassure the potential e-gaming operators.

The ICT infrastructures of the island are at international level, with a more and more innovative network of cable and mobile telecommunications;many Disaster Recovery and hosting facilities and a highly resilient connectivity bandwidth.

The Isle of Man Government and the Ministry of Economic Development are the institutions devoted to the development and promotion of e-gaming industry. This fact encourages the Isle of Man to work through a growing network of e-business and gaming companies software development. The result is that now in the Isle of Man, thanks to e-Gaming industry, over 400 people are employed in this field.

Why Isle of Man for e-Gaming ?

Regarded and Respectable

• UK 'White List' accreditation
• History of stability and security
• Tier 1 regulated island
• Ideal jurisdiction for AIM or FTSE stock market listing

Taxation

• Clear and simple tax regime
• No Capital Gains Tax
• Low personal taxation - 20% highest rate, 10% lowest rate with non taxable amount among the best in Europe
• Low tax on betting and gaming

Grants

• Up to 40% Government funding of relocation, marketing, hardware and software costs.
• Up to 50% annual Government funding can be available for training·Grants can be applied for on an annual basis
• Grants can be applied for on an annual basis.

Infrastructure

• World-class telecoms infrastructure including: two self-healing rings serving the Isle of Man;1.2 terra bits 0.02% capacity utilization;anti-DDOS attack technology.
• Excellent air and sea links to the UK and Ireland
• Totally self-sufficient power infrastructure, supported by submarine gas and electricity supply.

High Quality Support Services

• Legal and accountancy firms with expertise in e-gaming
• Excellent support service providers in hosting, IT and digital media
• Highly IT-literate workforce

Facilities for testing

The following companies are approved by the Gambling Supervisory Commission of the Isle of Man for the testing of gaming software and the behavior of each licensee on the island:

• BMM Compliance
• Compliance Testing Laboratory
• eCOGRA
• GLI Europe BV
• Gaming Associates
• iTech Labs
• QUINEL
• Software Quality Systems
• TST Global
• WPA Audit

All companies licensed in the Isle of Man, with software systems that require an official test, must use one of the companies listed above.

If you are a company testing and would like to be approved by the jurisdiction status of the Isle of Man, you can send an email to gaming@gov.im.

Disaster Recovery Suppliers - Company accepted

The following companies are based on the Isle of Man and are approved by the Supervisory Committee for gambling to provide worldwide disaster recovery services to e-gaming business in the world.

• Continent 8
• Domicilium
• Manx Telecom
• Netcetera

By registering your Disaster Recovery service on the island of Man, you will be assured of receiving a fully supported service by a jurisdiction specialized in online gambling.

Player protection

The Regulatory Commission on Gambling of the Isle of Man regulates various forms of gambling including both the online and traditional game.

As an organ, it is responsible for ensuring that gambling is conducted fairly and with justice, free from criminal influence and exploitation, not causing any damage to the public, household and individual interest.

In order to clean any doubt, the principle of protection of the Commission does not extend to a third party the payment of providers engaged by the licenses’ managers.

Capital protected

The Isle of Man assures all licensees a specific system “in loco” that protects completely the capital of the player. This means that any deposit or winning from a gaming company registered on the Island is safe and can be enforced by law.

Independent Testing

All operators must be tested by an outside testing service, approved by the Regulatory Commission of Gambling, to ensure that the mechanism is completely randomized and fair.

Analysis in progress

In order to grant the player's interests, Commission's duties include current marketing analysis and licensees advertising activities. The Commission is constantly monitoring all policy about player protection, especially minors.

Complaint Procedures

It is necessary to contact the license manager to report your complaint.

If you are not satisfied with the service and you have tried any communication line, you can contact the Commission at gaming@gov.im.

To get a quicker reply, you must fill in the form for complaints and send it to the email address mentioned above.

Most complaints are the result of misunderstandings between operators and players. Please read carefully all the Terms &Conditions of the operator and make sure that your complaint is valid. The Commission will certainly investigate to discover if you have been treated unlawfully.

Every inquiry is based on information received by the player, with documents proving his claim. The Commission will contact the Designated Official Licensee, asking for a reply. The process of investigation includes a comparison of all the player and licensee’s information.

Be sure to provide your full name, contact details for the account username, operator's name and the complaint with all the details, including all communication held on the subject of the complaint between you and the operator.

The result of the inquiry is determined by the evidence of facts presented individually for each case.