Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission (GSC)
The Isle of Man is a self governing dependency of the British Crown, situated between Great Britain and Ireland, and the Gambling Supervision Commission was established there in 1962. Today, the GSC is responsible for overseeing and licensing all gambling operations including land-based casinos, betting offices, lotteries and all online gambling activities.
Operators are attracted to the Isle of Man as a regulatory body for a number of reasons, not least it's competitive tax policy and liberal approach. The GSC also allows the use of all currencies and the use of cryptocurrency has been impemented since 2017.
The GSC is also known as one of the most innovative regulators, having licensed the world's first blockchain based lottery (Quanta). Rather surprisingly, it is also the regulator in charge of all cannabis cultivation, manufacturing and importation/exportation for the island jurisdiction.
Secured funds
The commission states on its website that its core principles are to:
- keep the industry free of crime.
- protect young people and people that are at risk.
- make sure that licensees offer fair services and that players receive their winnings in full.
There are many regulations and standards that operators must observe and adhere to in order to promote these principles, such as strict controls to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism. All games must be also tested by one of a number of approved external testing companies to ensure fairness and operators experience regular reviews of their policies regarding advertising, marketing, player protection and under-age gambling.
It is an important condition when obtaining a license that the player's funds must be secured using one of four options - a bank guarantee, a trust fund, a specific account purely for client funds or an insurance based solution. All operators undergo quarterly checks to ensure that the amount of funds held matches the amount deposited. Whichever way the operator decides to go, it is guaranteed that all deposits or winnings belonging to a player are protected and enforcable by law. In fact, the commission states that they have never received a complaint from a player that could not obtain their money.
Complaints and disputes
As is the procedure with most regulators in the industry, players wishing to raise a complaint should first contact the operator directly. Should the player not find their response to be satisfactory and if a resolution can not be found, it is then possible to escalate the dispute by submitting a complaint to the commission. To do so, there is an online complaints form, which must be completed and submitted in English.
When making a complaint to the commission, the player must first make sure that they have read the guidance on the player protection page, and be aware that while winnings and deposits that have not been wagered can be enforced legally, the commision is unable to force operators to return stakes that have been freely gambled.
How to check a license
To check if a casino or online gambling business is regulated by the GSC, you can visit the list of current licence holders on their website.
Here you will find the company name, the type of license they operate under and which websites they operate. Sometimes it is brought to the attention of the commission that a company or an operator is claiming to be licensed when they in fact are not, so there is also a watch list that includes the websites of all known operators that should be avoided.
Problem Gambling
The GSC provides details for a number of services on its website for residents of the Isle of Man concerned about their gambling, including:
- Motiv8 Addiction Services (a GamCare trained Associate): Confidential freephone line 0808 1624 627 or via e-mail: contact@motiv8.com
- 24hr Crisis Response Team: 01624 642860
- Debt Counselling Service: Dedicated confidential freephone line 08081624080 or via e-mail: debt@gov.im
If an off-island service is required, players can contact:
- The Gamcare helpline: 0808 8020 133 or website: http://www.gambleaware.org/
- Gordon Moody Gambling Therapy: Telephone line 01384 241292 or via e-mail: help@gordonmoody.org.uk
Contact Information
Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission
Address: Ground Floor, St. George's Court, Myrtle Street, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 1ED
Tel: +44 1624 694331
