The Isle of Man has seen a huge increase in demand from global gaming operators amid proposed changes to regulation and structure in some jurisdictions. 

Initial enquiries, sparked by uncertainty about the impact and scope of jurisdictional and political changes, and positive follow-up discussions have seen service providers on the Isle of Man report an uptick in enquiries from businesses wanting to relocate to the Island over the last 12 months.

There has been a 30% increase in demand this year with the number of licensees to be supervised by the Gambling Supervision Commission now at 55 with several more in the pipeline, an increase of 21 in last 12 months, in comparison to eight licence approvals in 2019.

The recent regulatory changes in alternate jurisdictions, combined with the island’s handling of Covid-19 and the introduction of a new software supplier licence has contributed to a significant surge in the number of applications as businesses seek strong regulation around player protection providing comfort to banks, PSP’s and investors.

Steve Brennan, Chief Executive of The Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission, comments: “We are exceptionally busy at the minute processing a significant rise in the number of applications for online gambling operators.

“We continued to work throughout lockdown, and over the last 10 months, we have received or completed a considerable number of applications. By the time we have closed those out and added recent applications, we will have 60 licences to supervise.”