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 IOMGSC 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 IOMGSC also allows the use of all currencies and the use of cryptocurrency has been implemented since 2017.

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 match the amount deposited. Whichever way the operator decides to go, the player can be sure that all deposits or winnings belonging to a player are protected and enforceable 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 player protection, and be aware that while winnings and deposits that have not been wagered can be enforced legally, the commission 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 IOMGSC, 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 offer. 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 IOMGSC provides details for a number of services on its website for residents of the Isle of Man concerned about their gambling, including:

• Gamcare Isle of Man: +44 1624 622011 or via e-mail: gamcareisleofman@iom.com
• 24hr Crisis Response Team: +44 1624 642860
• Debt Counsellor:+44 1624 686510

If an off-island service is required, players can contact:

• The Gamcare helpline: 0808 8020 133 or website: http://www.gamcare.org.uk/
• The Gambling Therapy website: https://www.gamblingtherapy.org/en

For those wishing to permanently exclude from all online operators licensed by the commission, there is a Permanent Exclusion Action Request Form available. Once completed, it must be submitted via e-mail to gaming@gov.im.

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

E-mail: gaming@gov.im

Website: https://www.gov.im/about-the-government/statutory-boards/gambling-supervision-commission/