The Alderney Gambling Control Commission – Not So Exclusive Anymore

The island of Alderney is one of the Channel Islands. Situated in the English Channel just of the northern coast of France it has a rather unique legislative set up. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey with a parliament called The States of Alderney. This is made up of ten members and a president. The island is a British Crown Dependency and as such has a lot of, shall we say, interesting ways of doing things. There are less than 2000 local inhabitants on the island yet they have one of the world’s most respected remote gambling jurisdictions. The AGCC has boosted the local economy by bringing in much-needed revenue. The Commission was set up in May 2000 working on behalf of the States of Alderney it is run independently from them and is strictly non-political. They have the rather refreshing approach of quality rather than quantity. Some of the big names in the business use Alderney as their regulatory body. Hundreds of bingo sites are registered in Alderney it seems to be the most popular there. Casinos are not as many but the cream of the crop are there. There are two of the biggest software developers licensed by Alderney as well. It seems the reputation of Alderney Gambling Control Commission is worth paying for. The fees are some of the highest in the industry but this just goes to show that the brands using this jurisdiction have the commitment to the industry. When we say high we mean high the top band for renewal is £400 000 for a year this is for a casino that exceeds £30 million annualized net gaming yield. That’s just for the license that’s not including taxes.

A Lot Of Hoops To Jump Through

Unlike some jurisdictions for remote gambling, there are no added incentives for businesses to come to Alderney. And come they must if they wish to get a remote gambling license. All applicants must have a registered company in Alderney. The steps required to gain a license are many and complicated. Getting a license is no easy thing from this jurisdiction. This all adds weight to the fact that if a top UK casino has an Alderney Gambling Control Commission license it has a chunk of cash behind it and it doesn’t mind spending it for legitimacy. Those that go for the Alderney jurisdiction are in it for the long haul. They want to be seen as top end and responsible. Whether they apply for a class 1 for business to customer or class 2 business to business they will have to show they are up to the standard set by Alderney. Regular inspections of licensees operations and funding is one area that the Commission is very strict about. They have had one very big well-publicized foo bar Full Tilt Poker!

One Hell Of A Stain On The Record

Full Tilt Poker was called by some a giant Ponzi scheme others referred to it as just a big cash washing machine. Many have not been so polite in their descriptions. Rightly so too the millions involved was scandalous and is everything that is wrong with e-Gaming. The whole point of regulatory bodies is to stop this kind of thing from happening. The four licenses held by Full Tilt Poker were unfortunately issued by Alderney. They were rescinded when the indictments came to light but the fact that they were late in reacting and didn’t see this coming was a shock to the industry. To the Commission’s credit, they instigated an independent investigation by the former UKGB Chairman Peter Dean. A full investigation was undertaken and an in-depth report was written. The mistakes made were duly noted and the recommendations were implemented. Overall the report mostly vindicated the Commission there were certain things in hindsight that could have been done differently. But the main findings of the report basically say that this could of happened to any jurisdiction.

How Is It For The Player?

Visit the Alderney Gambling Control Commissions website and it looks more like a tourist brochure than a regulatory body’s home page. The website is well put together full of easily accessible information and looks good. There are a lot of links to other sites that seem to be official but it’s not quite clear. The complaints process is a bit long-winded. Initial contact can be a bit drawn out and the actual investigation can seem almost glacial it takes that long. This is one of the big criticisms of the Commission. It has been said that they have taken on far too much to deal with effectively. This remains to be seen as they have had a surge of brands getting licensed recently. That being said they have one of the best reputations in the industry. They may have had a rather public scandal on their books but they did handle it with class. The appropriate action was taken if maybe a bit late. The big point is that the Commission recognized that the public were angry and disappointed with them. They did not try to cover up or make excuses they immediately set up an inquiry. In this day and age of spin and corporate lack of responsibility, it was a commendable course of action.

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Trust Was Damaged But It Has Been Regained

Humans make mistakes in business that last make many. It’s how the mistakes are rectified that is the big difference between the good the bad and the downright run away from. Alderney Gambling Control Commission still has some of the best names in the game on its books. If an online casino has a license from Alderney they should be trustworthy. Yes, the odd rotten apple sometimes slips into the barrel, but generally, they do run a tight ship. So if you are looking for a new online casino to play at you shouldn’t go far wrong with one from Alderney.